England player ratings vs Australia: 9/10 super-sub steals the show in record rout

England produced a statement performance following reports of a dressing room rift as they stormed past Australia with a 45-22 victory in the Nations Championship at Twickenham.

The pressure was on Steve Borthwick, and his side certainly delivered, taking a deserved 19-10 half-time lead before running riot after the break.

Henry Pollock delivered an inspired display off the bench and on the wing to secure England’s biggest-ever winning margin over Australia.

Standard Sport’s Sam Tabuteau was at Allianz Stadium Twickenham to rate the England players’ performances…

Backs

George Furbank 8: An eagerly-anticipated return to the side. Combined well with Fin Smith, playing quickly through the hands and grabbing the try assist as Ollie Chessum went over.

Tommy Freeman 8: Came close to scoring before the end of the first half but could not get a clean hold on the ball. Did all the running before finding Jack van Poortvliet as England made a dream start to the second period.

Henry Slade 8: Mr Consistent. He played with pace and intent as England increasingly put together slick passing moves to take the game away from Australia. Voted man of the match by the home fans.

Seb Atkinson 7: A solid display as England dominated Australia with their physicality. Ranked behind only Jamie George and Maro Itoje for tackles completed and also helped force a turnover as England put the squeeze on. His injury will be a concern.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 8: The attacking spark for England in the first half, who lit up a scrappy period thanks to his line-breaking runs.

Played a crucial role in England’s second try and was on the receiving end of Angus Bell’s yellow-card hip-drop tackle. Had to be replaced at half-time.

Fin Smith 7: Cleared to start following a calf injury. Reacted well after missing his first conversion, hitting cleanly through the posts five times as England piled on the tries. His defensive work is often underappreciated, but it’s a big part of why Borthwick trusts him so much.

Jack van Poortvliet 7: Handed Australia a route back into the game as his pass was intercepted by Max Jorgensen on the stroke of half-time. Made amends as he scored just after the break, collecting Freeman’s pass in space and going over under no pressure to seal the bonus point.

Forwards

Fin Baxter 7: Back after a lengthy injury and straight into the action. Australia had no answers to England’s physicality, and Baxter played a big part in ensuring the hosts’ dominance.

Jamie George 8: His defiance pre-match that England would be fully behind Borthwick led to an almighty roar when he gave the hosts the lead to become England’s highest-scoring forward with 18 tries, overtaking the great Lawrence Dallaglio.

Carried the ball excellently at the rolling maul before Joe Heyes scored England’s third try of the afternoon.

Joe Heyes 8: Gave England breathing room as he popped out of the rolling maul to score the hosts’ third try of the afternoon.

Maro Itoje 9: Had the summer off after a gruelling Six Nations campaign. Looked revitalised this afternoon, producing the most tackles.

Alex Coles 7: Another important part of England’s physically dominant display. All power and precision, with England hardly giving Australia an inch.

Ollie Chessum 7: Growing into one of England’s most important players. Finished off a lovely flowing move to score England’s second try.

Ben Curry 7: Responded after being penalised for a forward pass early on. Particularly impactful at the ruck.

Ben Earl 7: Typically assured and robust performance, as he got on the ball and got England up the pitch.

Replacements

Henry Pollock 9: The million-pound player with a priceless impact in a new position on the wing. Held off significant Australian pressure in the build-up to Van Poortvliet’s try before getting himself on the scoresheet with two tries in three minutes.

Luke Cowan-Dickie 6: Solid if unspectacular from the Sale Sharks hooker. The hard work had been done before he entered the fray.

Ellis Genge 6: Helped keep the pressure on for England, but can have no complaints about Baxter starting ahead of him.

Will Stuart 6: Refreshed the pack for England as they continued to get the better of Australia physically.

Greg Fisilau 6: On for his debut and did not look out of place, albeit England were in cruise control by then.

George Martin 6: England’s power off the bench is such an asset. Ensured England kept the pressure on as they coasted to victory.

Marcus Smith 6: Not able to get in on the fun for England. This is exactly the sort of game he would have loved to start.

Ben Spencer 7: Scored moments after coming on as he intercepted the ball near the try line and sauntered over for the simplest of finishes.