England 25-7 Australia
Earl, Mitchell and Cowan-Dickie also cross for hosts
There will be higher octane games than this one in the coming weeks, but for England the primary objective has been safely ticked off. An eighth successive Test victory is in the bag and Steve Borthwick’s team have gone one better than the corresponding fixture last year, when the Wallabies stole the spoils in the dying moments.
While this encounter was not nearly as thrilling, the final scoreline – shining brightly on the big screen in the gathering evening gloom – was what really counted. Defeat by a weakened Wallaby side would have prompted some uncomfortable questions and cast a nagging shadow over the remainder of their November schedule.
Just when England fans were starting to wonder if a late Halloween horror show might yet materialise, up popped a man with a trick up his sleeve. Henry Pollock had been on the field seven minutes when he brilliantly scooped up a tap-down from the high-flying Tom Roebuck and accelerated away to score the game’s defining try from 30 metres out.
