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Who looked the best going forward?
When Folau beat four tacklers running back a high ball, he gave himself the edge. A fine tackle by Courtney Lawes stopped a dangerous break early in the second half. Brown has not found his usual freedom, ball in hand, for club or country, but softer hands might have made a first-half try for Jonny May and his grub-kick set up Ben Morgan’s second try.
Show all 32 1 /32England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Mike Brown Made some nice breaks when in space but had an unusually quiet game. Hasn’t been at his best throughout the autumn though. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Anthony Watson Saw the ball early but wasn’t able to take his chances. Made little impact in the second half as England saw less possession. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Brad Barritt A nasty head clash with Rob Horne split his head open and he finally left the field in a bloody and battered mess, but his commitment in defence was huge and he set the tone for England’s defence. 8
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Billy Twelvetrees One lovely pass set Barritt and Watson into space early on, but he faded as the game wore on and his defensive frailties were exposed by a strong run from Hooper. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Jonny May Wasn’t able to take Brown’s flick when he had space in front. Strong in defence against Jordan Speight and got the better of the Wallaby with the ball in hand. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings George Ford Started brightly and tried to get England moving the ball through the hands, but he unravelled in the second half and his passing was particularly slopping, while he missed two tricky penalties. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Ben Youngs Pressured Nick Phipps well that led to a chance for Ford to break clear. Kicking was on the money too and gave England’s back three the chance to contest the aerial ball. 7
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Joe Marler Gave England the upper edge as he got the better of James Slipper, but a shoulder injury looked to force him off earlier than England would have liked. 7
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Dylan Hartley Relished the battle up front and had the cheek to ask the referee for “more scrums”. Line-outs were as accurate as ever and gave England good quick ball. 8
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England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings David Wilson More prominent in the loose than in previous weeks and stepped up where he need to in the scrum. 7
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Dave Attwood Accidental trip on Michael Hooper saved a possible try for England, and did a lot of the hard work in the rucks and mauls. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Courtney Lawes He was superb all around the pitch in the first-half with a try-saving tackle complimenting his usual big hits. Stole ball at the line-out too, and was a real leader as well as an enforcer. 9
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Tom Wood A lovely catch when he was almost horizontal set the tone for his performance, and he was winding up the Wallabies all game. 8
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Chris Robshaw Won an important penalty 10m from England’s line under intense pressure. Unsurprisingly outpaced by Folau when chasing a try, but was as committed as ever with his tackling. 7
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Ben Morgan Took his first try very well as he barged over the Wallaby defence. His second was laid on a platter for his as the opposition pack was battered into submission in the scrum. 8
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Replacements Rob Webber – Had little time to have any impact as he replaced Hartley late on. 5 Matt Mullan – Picked up where Marler left off and scrummaged particularly well. 6 Kieran Brookes – helped win a penalty in a late scrum to secure the win. 5 George Kruis – Suffered an apparent concussion in a head clash with team-mate Brown and missed the closing stages. 5 James Haskell – Came on when the game was won. 5 Richard Wigglesworth – Didn’t have to much to do and didn’t do anything wrong. 5 Owen Farrell – Replaced a bloodied Barritt and strong tackle knocked Quade Cooper into touch. 6 Marland Yarde – Like Haskell, introduced when the game was over. 5
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England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Australia: Israel Folau Kept very quiet and unforced error when he knocked the ball on in his own 22 led to Morgan’s first score. Also passed a late chance into touch, a poor day at the office. 4
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Henry Speight Had a limited effect on the game as he was well marked, and replaced by Kurtley Beale midway through the second half. 5
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Adam Ashley-Cooper Australia’s biggest threat with the ball in hand and made three very good breaks. Perhaps a built guilty to not pass when through, but played very well nonetheless. 8
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Matt Toomua Strong in defence and looked to bring the faster players outside him into play. 7
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Rob Horne Could have had two tries had passes gone to him rather than elsehwhere, and was shaken up by the hit from Barritt. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Bernard Foley Simple inside ball set up his own try, but was hauled off immediately after. Turned down a long-range penalty chance, and didn’t have his best day despite the try. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Nick Phipps Wasn’t given any time around the ruck with Youngs pressuring him and was caught at the base a few times. Replaced early in the second half. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings James Slipper Tried to cope with Marler’s power and last over 70 minutes, but was roundly outmuscled in the scrum. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Anthony Fainga'a Hobbled off late on but hadn’t had a great game. Lost the battle in the scrum and a few of his line-outs found white shirts. 5
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Sekope Kepu Like his front-row counterparts, he struggled to deal with the pressure on him, and was marked out by referee Jerome Garces as Australia’s weak link. 5
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Sam Carter Largely anonymous throughout the match and struggled in the line-out. 5
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Rob Simmons Replaced by Luke Jones at half-time after picking up an injury early on his 50th appearance. 4
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Sam McMahon Was recalled to the side and tackled well to limit England, but was replaced in the second half as Australia struggled to get anything firing. 5
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Matt Hooper Showed his pace and picked a lovely angle to break through England’s defence early. Perhaps gave the pass when Australia looked to be in for a try too early. 7
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Ben McCalman Outshone by his opposite number and was put under enormous pressure by a scrum going backwards. 6
England 26 Australia 17 - player ratings Replacements James Hanson – Hit his man at a couple of line-outs but nothing else of note. 5 Ben Robinson – Didn’t sure up Australia’s struggling scrum. 5 Ben Alexander – Came on for a crocked Kepu but experienced just as hard a time in the scrum. 5 Will Skelton – Used his enormous frame to crash over from close range and keep Australia in the game. 6 Luke Jones – Replaced Simmons for the second half yet didn’t do anything of note in 40 minutes. 5 Nic White – Tried to test Brown with a few low chips but to no avail. 5 Quade Cooper – His nonchalance cost Australia after he was driven over the dead ball line which led to a try. 4 Kurtley Beale – Came on to play on the wing and didn’t really add much to Australia’s attack. 5
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Who looked the best in defence?
The first try stemmed directly from Folau’s knock-on, under no pressure, which gave England their attacking scrum. Generally the Australian was sound under the high ball and needed no second invitation to run back. Brown missed touch and conceded a penalty within two minutes midway through the first half, but later he made two fine tackles on Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Who offered the greater X factor?
Folau, recent winner of the John Eales Medal for best Australian player, is the more natural runner, but after his first, wonderful, season, are defenders working him out?
You feel a thrill every time his hands touch the ball and those long legs stride into action, whereas Brown has more of the artisan about him – and is none the worse for that. If you put your money on either man to achieve the unexpected, it would be Folau.
Who will make the bigger impact at the World Cup?
Brown has home advantage but must bring colleagues into play more. The attacking high ball is his meat and drink but he must link with his wings more, and no doubt will when he has a settled pair to work with. But only a fool would write Folau out of the global tournament – remember the turmoil in Australian rugby a month ago and think what Michael Cheika, as coach, can do given time.
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