9 hours ago
3
Quilter Nations Series
England (10) 25
Tries: Earl, Pollock, Mitchell, Cowan-Dickie Cons: Ford Pen: Ford
Australia (7) 7
Tries: Potter Cons: Edmed
Tries from warp-speed back-row pair Ben Earl and Henry Pollock helped England see off Australia as their power-packed bench ultimately swung an untidy opening autumn Test.
After the Wallabies edged a 10-try classic last year, England took revenge with a performance heavy on perspiration, if a little short on cohesion, at Allianz Stadium Twickenham.
Australia trailed by only three points at the break after wing Harry Potter's breakaway try had given them a lifeline back into the contest.
But replacement Pollock scampered in just before the hour to restore England's cushion, before a snipe from Alex Mitchell and a rolling maul steered over the line by Luke Cowan-Dickie ensured they could see out the final stages in comfort.
The closing stages were enlivened by raised tensions rather than any scoreboard jeopardy.
A scuffle, sparked by Ellis Genge's shoulder on fellow prop Allan Alaalatoa, drew in most of the 30 players on the pitch, before Pollock was shown a yellow card in the penultimate passage of the game for an infringement on England's line.
England have won eight successive Tests, a run stretching back to their defeat in the opening game of this year's Six Nations in Ireland.
The opening exchanges were mainly played out in the air, rather than on the turf.
Since last year's laws tweak, which outlawed 'escort runners' and made it easier for chasing players to contest kicks, there has been a higher premium on the ability to claim high balls.
England full-back Freddie Steward, whose selection owed a lot to his reliability in that regard, initially struggled to stamp his authority in the backfield, with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Potter climbing high to force errors and regain possession.
A regulation catch from Steward in the 19th minute prompted ironic cheers from the crowd.
But if Steward took time to get his eye in, England have other aerial specialists, and wing Tom Roebuck outjumped Suaalii to claim Mitchell's box-kick before slipping the ball to Sam Underhill on his return to earth.
Underhill sensibly passed straight on to fellow back row Ben Earl, who - backed by coach Steve Borthwick to start a Test at centre in the future - showed his pace as he cantered in under the sticks to add to George Ford's earlier penalty and make it 10-0.
Tommy Freeman, who is midway through his own switch to midfield from the wing, failed to make the most of England's best opportunity up until that point, holding on to the ball and taking possession as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso revved up on his shoulder.
Australia, who recovered from 12 points down to win this fixture last autumn and clambered back from 22 points adrift to beat world champions South Africa in August, hung tough under pressure, however.
Scrum-half Jake Gordon did superbly to wrap up Earl over the line as the back row bullocked across the whitewash once again.
And then the visitors landed a superb counter-punch try.
Backing Australia up on to their own line, it seemed England were poised to further extend their lead.
But Wimbledon-born Wallabies wing Potter, who won the Premiership title under Borthwick during their time at Leicester, easily read Fraser Dingwall's intention to throw a mis-pass to Steward, stepped into the line, plucked the ball out of the air and scooted upfield for an intercept try.
With the gap cut to three points, Australia found a new physical edge.
Tane Edmed dumped Dingwall, Taniela Tupou rattled Jamie George and Suaalii scythed down Earl in full flight.
The Wallabies were down on the scoreboard but headed into half-time on the up after a rearguard action had kept them within touching distance of the hosts.
Borthwick had planned for such an eventuality. Last year he saw his side edged out in the closing stages of a series of tight tier-one encounters.
A bench packed with power, experience and energy was designed to ensure his team finished strong rather than fade away.
Five British and Irish Lions were unleashed after 51 minutes, with Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart, Genge, Tom Curry and Pollock entering the fray.
Pollock, showing off a shock of peroxide blond hair for the first time on the Test stage, took nine minutes to accessorise his new look with a try.
As Roebuck scrambled the Australia defence by tapping back another box kick, Northampton back row Pollock scooped up the loose ball, carved through the chaos and survived Andrew Kellaway's despairing ankle tap to make it over the line.
England pressed home their advantage and polished up the scoreline in the final 10 minutes, with Mitchell and Cowan-Dickie crossing.
Australia, who were missing Exeter pair Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper and giant La Rochelle lock Will Skelton for a Test taking place outside the Test window, suffered for their lack of depth.
England, who moved up to fourth in the world rankings on the back of their victory, will continue their campaign against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina over the next three weekends.
England: Steward; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Feyi-Waboso; Ford, Mitchell; Baxter, George, Heyes, Itoje (capt), Chessum, Pepper, Underhill, Earl.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Coles, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, F Smith.
Australia: Kellaway; Jorgensen, Suaalii, Paisami, Potter; Edmed, Gordon; Bell, Pollard, Tupuo, Frost, Williams, Valetini, McReight, Wilson (capt).
Replacements: Nasser, Robertson, Alaalatoa, Salakaia-Loto, Champion de Crespigny, Lonergan, Stewart, Daugunu.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).
Assistant referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Craig Evans (Wales).
Television match official: Eric Gauzins (France).
