At the very least, Eddie Jones has found some form of consistency. For a second game in a row, his side found themselves a man to the good after the first half sending off of an Australian lock – and just as against the Barbarians at Twickenham, England were well beaten at full-time.
The veneer of respectability provided by Henry Arundell and Jack van Poortvliet’s late scores will not distract from a disjointed England performance, the sort that is beginning to look habitual. Even with collision dominance and set-piece supremacy for large periods, England wilted in the final quarter, relinquishing a game they will reflect they should have won.
So much had gone wrong for Australia. Dave Rennie lost his starting fly-half moments before kick-off; by the end of the first half, a full-back, tight-head and second row had been lost to the Wallabies, too. Rennie’s side deserve tremendous credit for the manner in which they adapted and found clarity amid the adversity, but England, with so much falling right, once again failed to take the initiative – reducing Jones to recognisable refrain.
