The Allianz Stadium witnessed a lively and at times chaotic first half. Steve Borthwick’s side opened the scoring through a George Ford penalty after sustained pressure and breakdown dominance, with Sam Underhill and Ben Earl particularly effective in disrupting Wallaby possession.
England’s first try came courtesy of a moment of brilliance from wing Tom Roebuck, who soared above centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii - who had announced himself to the world this time a year ago in the same venue - to claim a high ball and offloaded to Underhill. The flanker then found Earl, who raced clear to score under the posts, giving Ford a simple conversion and England a 10–0 advantage.
Australia struggled to find rhythm, with Tane Edmed looking unsettled at fly-half and their midfield lacking punch in the absence of Exeter Chiefs' Len Ikitau. A rare attacking spell saw them camped in England’s 22, but the hosts’ maul defence held firm and earned a scrum to relieve the pressure.
England looked poised to extend their lead when Earl broke through again, only to be held up over the line by a superb covering tackle from wing Harry Potter. Moments later, London-born wing Potter turned the game on its head, intercepting a blindside pass from Fraser Dingwall and sprinting the length of the field to score against the run of play. Edmed added the extras to bring Australia within three points.
The half ended in farcical fashion as Edmed attempted to kick the ball into touch but instead found England loosehead Fin Baxter with a miscue. Fortunately for the Wallabies, they recovered possession and cleared to end the half.
The breakthrough for the hosts came just before the hour mark when Tom Roebuck, once again imperious in the air, tapped back a box-kick for replacement back rower Pollock to gather one-handed and muscle his way over the line despite a last-ditch tackle from fullback Andrew Kellaway. Impressively, this was the 20-year-old's third try in 36 minutes of Test rugby. It was also a moment that summed up England’s aerial superiority and growing confidence. Ford missed the conversion, but the momentum had shifted decisively.
The introduction of England’s bench - stacked with Lions-fresh forwards - proved decisive. The likes of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Curry, and Ellis Genge brought fresh energy and bite, with England’s maul becoming an unstoppable force. After a near miss from Cowan-Dickie, who knocked on just short of the line, England returned to the corner and executed a textbook rolling maul, with Cowan-Dickie crashing over to score his 10th try for his country, thus marking his 50th cap in style.
Australia, by contrast, struggled to exit cleanly and were repeatedly punished at the breakdown. Their attacking shape remained disjointed, and while Rob Valetini and Hunter Paisami offered brief flashes of threat, England’s defensive organisation and breakdown work snuffed out any real danger.
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell then sealed the win with a clever blindside dart after second row Lukhan Salakaia-Loto illegally disrupted the maul. The scrum-half pounced on the loose ball and burrowed over, with Ford narrowly missing the conversion.
The final minutes were marked by a flurry of penalties and a brief scuffle between Ellis Genge and Allan Alaalatoa, which drew roars from the Twickenham crowd. England finished with 14 men after Pollock was sent to the bin, but the result was never in doubt.
This was a statement second half from England - not just in scoreboard terms, but in the way they controlled territory, imposed themselves physically, and closed out the game with authority.
It made it eight wins in a row for England, who now turn their attention to Fiji next Saturday (17:40 GMT) while the Wallabies will look to bounce back against Italy at the same time in Udine.
⭐️ Player of the Match: Ben Earl (ENG)
💬 I loved being back here [at Allianz Stadium], loved being back at home. It wasn't always the prettiest but we found a way to win and that's just something to judge ourselves on today. We prepared for this kind of weather; we didn't really prepare for the dry weather. I think the experience that we've learnt over the last 18 months, coming here today... a year ago we might not have won that game, but we have this year, so we're pleased with that.
England: Freddie Steward; Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Fin Baxter, Jamie George, Joe Heyes; Maro Itoje (capt), Ollie Chessum; Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Alex Coles, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Fin Smith.
Australia: Andrew Kellaway; Max Jorgensen; Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Hunter Paisami; Harry Potter; Tane Edmed, Jake Gordon; Angus Bell, Billy Pollard, Taniela Tupou; Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (capt).
Replacements: Josh Nasser, Tom Robertson, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Ryan Lonergan, Hamish Stewart, Filipo Daugunu.