1. England's defence dominated
This time last year, England's defence was in flux with a sudden change of defence coach and Australia were able to take advantage. 12 months on, England have another new defence coach, Byron McGuigan. but already looked a lot more comfortable. They defended excellently as a unit and used their athleticism to keep Australia at baye. The visitors were beaten so badly in contact that they failed to get over the gain-line on almost half of their carries in the game. England showed promise in Argentina and, if their defensive form continues, this will become a pillar of their game.
2.Australia still need to solidify their 9 and 10 options
Jake Gordon and Tane Edmed started for Australia on Saturday. They were both solid but unable to make a dent in England's defence. The 9 options are more simple now that Nic White has retired, but McDermott and Gordon are still doing battle for the position. The 10 battle is where things get tricky. Edmed, Lynagh, Lolesio and O'Connor are all still competing for the jersey and there is no clear front-runner at this point. The Wallabies clearly have a great team, but sorting out who plays at fly-half will be crucial for building a team that can compete in 2027. Throw into the mix, the potential return of Carter Gordon from the NRL and who knows what will happen - or even who will make the squad?
3.The kicking game is a genuine weapon for England
This was always going to be the main tactic for England and their team selection aligned with that. George Ford is the best tactical kicker in the northern hemisphere and was given a giant back line to work with. Tommy Freeman slid inside to 13 in a move that looks like it could be permanent, which allowed Borthwick to select both Tom Roebuck and Feyi-Waboso with Freddie Steward at fulllback. Steward didn't have his best game, but England were able to dominate in every facet of the game. The English kick-chase was immense and even led directly to a Ben Earl try in the first half.They will likely come up against more tactically prepared teams in the next couple of weeks, but this was quite to start.
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