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England started their campaign in convincing fashion with a 25-7 win over Australia at Twickenham, establishing early dominance with their forwards and bench impact. England showed strength in depth, especially in the forwards and impact bench contributions. While the attack still has room to evolve and Ford’s game can sharpen, this result gives Borthwick’s squad momentum and belief heading deeper into the Autumn Nations Series.
Fin Baxter – 7.5/10
A formidable outing in the front row, handling Taniela Tupou well aand getting the edge over the Wallabies pack. Baxter put in huge numbers in defence and was impressive at the breakdown with smart counter-rucking in the second half.
Jamie George – 7.5
Absorbed some pressure from the Wallabies brutal defence and kept coming back for more. Recorded 20 tackles in his 50-minute stint and was a part of solid set-piece performance from the front row. Gave away one throw at lineout time.
Joe Heyes – 7.5
Reliable and strong in the scrum without ever looking under pressure. Held his own in the tighter exchanges and made 12 tackles before coming off.
Maro Itoje – 8
Engine room leader. He disrupted countless rucks, carried smartly, and was a constant physical presence which challenged Australia’s attack. One penalty aside, it was a typical high-impact Itoje shift.
Ollie Chessum – 7.5
Strong defensively and energetic in the loose, he helped blunt the Wallabies’ physical edge and offered good support carries. Stood up in the maul to disrupt the Wallabies momuntum in a pivotal moment of the game.
Sam Underhill – 7
Defended with tenacity and made important tackles; perhaps could have offered more with ball in hand.
Guy Pepper – 7.5
Grew into the contest and made his presence felt around the breakdown and line-out. A strong home debut. Completed 15 tackles and maintained his presence beyond the 50-minute mark while others were substituted
Ben Earl – 8.5: The game’s standout forward. Scored a fantastic try by backing up an England kick-chase, made strong metres, and applied real pressure across the park. Was unlucky not to get a second aftre being held up by Harry Potter.
Alex Mitchell – 7.5
Controlled the tempo well, delivered crisp service from the base and made key tactical decisions in the wet conditions.
George Ford – 8
Executed England’s gameplan to perfection. Managed territory with tatical kicking and spiralling bombs that troubled Australia’s back three. He lead England around and his team follwed his composure. Missed a few kicks from the tee.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – 6
Displayed flashes of speed and power, but was under-used and didn’t quite make the impact expected on the wing.
Fraser Dingwall – 6
Reliable and disciplined in defence, yet missed a moment that allowed the Wallabies back into the contest.
Tommy Freeman – 7
Strong carrying and solid in defence in the midfield. Questions will be raised as the whether his best position in centre going forward for England. Still needs sharper execution in attack.
Tom Roebuck – 8
Excellent under the high ball and offered good involvement in the game plan, breaking open the game in the second half after leaping for the ball to set up Pollock’s try. Reliable in attack, and England now have a luxury of players to pick on the wing.
Freddie Steward – 6.5
Steady under pressure, cleared intelligently from the back, and made significant metres in the final quarter when the game opened up.
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie – 8
Came on and made an immediate difference with physicality and scoring a maul try on his 50th cap.
17. Ellis Genge – 7.0
Injected bite when introduced, winning collisions and helping England continue the scrum dominance in the final quarter. His encounter with Allan Alaalatoa sparked fireworks.
18. Will Stuart – 6.5
Set-piece contributions were solid and relieved the bench well without standout moments.
19. Alex Coles – 5
Limited impact in his short cameo, though the occasion was a big one for him.
20. Tom Curry – 7
Came off the bench and made a meaningful defensive contribution, showing he still offers value in pressure situations.
21. Henry Pollock – 8
Made a dynamic impact from the bench, finished a smart try and showed why his inclusion is no fluke.
22. Ben Spencer – 5
Had little opportunity to change the game in his brief spell, but offered depth.
23. Fin Smith – 5
Came on late when the result was secured; not enough time to influence proceedings significantly.