England make massive step up in Australia victory

In his latest BBC Sport column, England World Cup winner Matt Dawson reflects on an impressive 45-22 win for Steve Borthwick's side against Australia in the Nations Championship on Sunday.

Beating Australia with their record points tally against the Wallabies was a very positive way for England to start the autumn series, given the break they have had and how the beginning of the year went.

England were very accurate, very disciplined, creative and genuinely did not give Australia a sniff.

Before the game, I was expecting Australia to provide much more of a stern test. Some people might be a bit too critical of Australia, saying they did not turn up, but I think it edges more towards how well England played than how average Australia were.

I am not saying by any stretch that it was the perfect performance but, all in all, it was a massive step up from the Six Nations and even from the Nations Championship games in the summer.

Intensity, accuracy and discipline in abundance

A couple of days before the Australia game, Jamie George said the England team had been galvanised by a newspaper article which claimed the end of their summer tour had been marked by player unrest over head coach Borthwick's leadership.

When you are inside those international camps, you are very deliberate in staying tight and not letting anybody in in whatever way, shape or form, therefore you become very sensitive to any kind of criticism.

There is a reason for doing that - it draws you together and allows you to create a bit more determination and drive to be successful.

You could see England's intensity, their accuracy and their discipline. All the things that have maybe been highlighted over the past nine months as things England have been lacking, there was an abundance of all of it.

As much as it is easy to try to pick holes in England because it is England, sometimes you have got to pat people on the back and say they got it right.

The opposition was dangerous with good individual players, but from the off England's tactics were spot on. Their decision-making was controlled and they looked like a very well-drilled side.

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How England might unlock the best of Slade

England's back three of George Furbank, Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso caused plenty of problems for Australia, but I think you have to include Fin Smith and Henry Slade in that as well.

Potentially, there is something in that backline that may allow us to see the Slade we see for Exeter that we have not seen as much for England.

Having the likes of Feyi-Waboso, Freeman and Furbank around Slade and them understanding the sorts of positions he can get them into - there might be some long-term benefits to that.

Feyi-Waboso is X-factor, there is no question about that. For his early disallowed try, he shifted his weight and beat someone with that pace - I do not think there are many people in the world who could do that.

When you have got players like him who can do that regularly, all of a sudden you are getting momentum.

There was a massive difference in ruck speed and in momentum; England were getting lined up defensively and pushing Australia back, whereas when you have got players like Feyi-Waboso and Ben Earl, and then when Henry Pollock comes on as well, you have got plenty of players who can break the line in traffic and it makes attacking that much easier.

Fin Smith is leading the team, he looks like he is a general and in control of the game.

He has got a safe pair of hands and communication from Seb Atkinson, he has got vision from Slade and then a back three that if you give them half a chance, they are going to bust the line, create opportunities and probably finish.

There were bits of Sunday's game where if New Zealand were doing it, everybody would be ranting and raving about how complete some of those tries were.

Pollock's flexibility a fantastic weapon

Feyi-Waboso's injury meant Pollock came off the bench to play in an unfamiliar position on the wing and he ended up scoring two of England's seven tries.

He did very well considering he was on for a whole half. Going forward, what is the difference having Pollock there? He has got a winger's speed, the step, great hands, the power and the bulk that other wingers do not have and he is going to be a handful for the opposition.

Defensively, he was tested a couple of times and that is inevitable, but to have that flexibility on the bench allows England to have that six-two split because you have got a player who can now pretty much cover so many positions.