RED ROSE RATINGS - ENGLAND 37 - 18 AUSTRALIA

RED ROSE RATINGS – ENGLAND 37 – 18 AUSTRALIA

               Date: 24th November 2018

               Location: Twickenham Stadium, London, England

               Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

               Attendance: 81,275

England rounded off their autumn international series with a second-half inspired win against Australia. The hosts turned on the style in a second period that they totally dominated against the visiting Wallabies. There will be plenty for Eddie Jones to take away from an action packed series in which his side won three out of four of their tests against southern hemisphere opposition.

15 – Elliot Daly (Wasps) – 7

Ran a wonderful line to collect the ball for his try and then finished brilliantly using his impressive balanced running. Still remains suspect in defence and under the high ball which are still preventing him from nailing down his spot in the side. Eddie Jones looks keen to have him here though.

14 – Joe Cokanasiga (Bath) - 8 

Back to back impressive performances from the Bath winger. It was a quieter first half but after the break he ran the show for England in attack. Not only did he cause the Australian's problems by scoring a try but rubbed salts into their wounds by crashing through tackles and rolling defenders over, Dane Haylett-Petty will be having nightmares for weeks.

13 – Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) – 6

Too absent in attack, normally where he's at his strongest. His defending was much more obvious though, stripping the ball in tackles, hitting yellow shirts hard and chasing kicks well.

12 – Ben Te'o (Worcester Warriors) - 7 

Finally we began to see what the Worcester man is capable of with ball in hand. He ran some powerful lines and executed some lovely offloads which helped England build. Threw one intercept though which he got away with thanks to a silly forward pass from the visitors. 

11 – Johnny May (Leicester Tigers) - 7 

Impressive under the high ball and took his early try very well to put England ahead. Made what he could of the limited of ball that came his way in open play.

10 – Owen Farrell (Saracens) - 7

Kicked very well from the tee hitting all but one and was a constant threat for the Australians when in possession. Wonderful break and offload to set Daly free and ran the perfect line to combine with George Ford for try number four. Lucky not to have been sin-binned for a clear shoulder charge on Izack Rodda, becoming a bit of a theme and he will get caught out eventually.

9 – Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers) - 7 

Could have perhaps gone himself for England's early try but unselfishly and professionally put Johnny May over. Controlled the game's tempo very well but again could be criticised for some wayward box-kicks. 

1 – Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs) - 8

Has gone from strength to strength this autumn and has proved himself a worthy backup to Mako Vunipola. Had his opposite number Sekope Kepu beaten at the scrum and was ever present clearing out at the ruck and carrying in the loose.

2 – Jamie George (Saracens) - 7

Hit all his men at the lineout, eight out of eight and also played his role in a dominant scrum. Would liked to have seen him more active in the loose but the set piece platform he helped provide was a key factor in England winning. 

3 – Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins) - 9

Kyle Sinckler had a brilliant game (Photo: Getty)

The Quins prop's best performance in the Red Rose. Tackled brilliantly again, his hit early on after the charge down gave England the five metre scrum they scored from. Like the rest of the front-row he was magnificent at the set-piece and ruck. He really came alive in attack though choosing some wonderful lines which he topped off with some clever offloading.

4 – Maro Itoje (Saracens) - 7 

Caused Australia plenty of problems on their lineout and at the breakdown but was also guilty of giving away some soft penalties and spilling the ball in contact. Showed some lovely touches offensively and remained a dangerous runner throughout. 

5 – Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) - 6 

Took the bulk of the throws from Jamie George and helped provide Ben Youngs and co with some quick ball. Worked hard in defence as always and pressured Will Genia at the ruck from the off. 

6 – Brad Shields (Wasps) - 7 

Really strong for England at the breakdown where he deserved more than the one penalty he won. Top of the charts when it came to tackling but his game wasn't just limited to the gritty stuff as his incredible no-look ball off the top of the lineout showed.

7 – Sam Underhill (Bath) - 7 

Like his partner, Brad Shields, he was an ever present force in England's defensive cause, his tackling technique was particularly effective in stifling Australian attacks. Also executed a penalty turnover of his own.

8 – Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons) - 8

Another stellar performance from a man that should be rewarded with the player of the series accolade. Brilliant break in the lead up to Joe Cokanasiga's try as well as some assured control from the back of the scrum were particular highlights. Fielded the deep kicks very well and of course threw his weight around in defence. 

SUBS:

Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) - 6

Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs) - 6  
Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs) - 6 
Charlie Ewels (Bath) - N/A
Nathan Hughes (Wasps) - N/A
Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens) - 7
George Ford (Leicester Tigers) - 7
Manu Tuilagi (Leciester Tigers) - 6

Henry Justice