Pollock pulse check taunts Australia

England's coach Steve Borthwick faced intense scrutiny after his team suffered five consecutive Test losses in 2026. However, a strong performance against Australia on Sunday relieved some of the pressure on Borthwick. Henry Pollock, typically a back-row forward, scored two of England's seven tries to secure the victory. The match began with England opting to start without Steve Borthwick, who was under intense scrutiny following their five consecutive Test losses in 2026.

Despite this, England managed to score their first try just eight minutes into the match, with veteran hooker George being driven over from a line-out. Australia managed to reduce England's lead to 5-3 with a penalty from scrum-half Ryan Lonergan. England's next try came in the 26th minute when flanker Chessum went in at the left corner, assisted by a clever pass from full-back George Furbank.

The Wallabies were penalised for a hip-drop tackle on Feyi-Waboso in the 32nd minute, leaving them with 14 men. England capitalized on this advantage with a third try shortly after, when tighthead prop Heyes caught Australia unawares by rolling off the side of a maul. Despite Australia scoring a try just before halftime, England's Pollock made his presence felt with two strong tries, one in the 55th minute and another in the final three minutes.

This victory marked England's highest points tally against Australia, surpassing the 44 points they managed in a 44-40 win in Sydney in 2016. The win also gave England a potential quarter-final matchup against Australia during next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia.