England began their latest Autumn Nations Series campaign with a comfortable win over Australia at Twickenham. Steve Borthwick’s side got revenge following their surprise defeat in this same fixture 12 months ago, when Max Jorgensen’s last-gasp try sealed a thrilling 42-37 triumph for the Wallabies to end a dismal run of 10 defeats in 11 matches against their old rivals.
Plenty has changed since then, though, with England now riding an eight-game winning streak after a strong finish to the Six Nations was followed by an impressive Test series victory in Argentina and thumping success over the USA, despite most of their best players being on summer duty with the British and Irish Lions Down Under. Borthwick will be eager for that run to continue this autumn as he bids to ensure that his team’s ranking is as high as possible heading into next month’s 2027 World Cup draw, with Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina all now coming up this month.
Ben Earl registered England’s stylish opening try after an early George Ford penalty, only for Harry Potter to hit back following a magical intercept for the weakened Wallabies, who were brushed aside in the second half after further scores by impact sub Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell and Luke Cowan-Dickie. Follow England vs Australia live below!
England vs Australia highlights
- TRY! Cowan-Dickie marks 50th cap late on
- TRY! Mitchell darts over for England's third
- TRY! Pollock scores off the bench again
- TRY! Potter hits back after stunning intercept
- TRY! Earl runs in after Ford penalty
Schmidt: Australia learn tough lessons
20:52 , George Flood"It was very tough and there were a few lessons out there. We're all disappointed," Schmidt said.
"England's bench really made a difference because of the intensity and physical combat they brought. Until that time the game was in the balance.
"Six British and Irish Lions on the bench - that's strength in depth. England were very, very good, but it wasn't like we were utterly outplayed."
Borthwick excuses England profligacy
20:51 , George Flood"There were a big number of line breaks out there and that was a step forward. Finishing them off was not quite our strength though," Borthwick said.
"With the amount of rain that came down today and overnight, the pitch was really greasy and that was a contributory factor as well.
"We made some tactical switches during the game to find ways to win - that tells me the team is thinking their way through a game."
Borthwick pleased with bench performance
20:50 , George Flood"The bench certainly had a positive impact. It's a sign that the squad is building in depth," Borthwick said.
"It was an important summer for English rugby with a number of players away with the Lions, who were successful down in Australia, as well as a number away in Argentina and America with England.
"It's enabled the squad to grow and that's pleasing. It means I've got some difficult decisions to make. It's the exact decisions you want as a head coach."
Borthwick hails Pollock impact
20:49 , George Flood"Everybody's excited when Henry Pollock gets on to the pitch because of what he brings, there's no doubt about that," Borthwick said.
"He's probably the most excited person! The way he is and the energy he brings - he's a ball of energy.
"I love having that character in the squad. We've got a great blend of personalities developing within the team."
England celebrate with the Ella-Mobbs Trophy...
England 25-7 Australia
17:07 , George FloodFull-time
An eighth successive win for England to begin their latest Autumn Nations Series campaign on the right note.
Four tries in total from Earl, Pollock, Mitchell and Cowan-Dickie.
Not their best performance and certainly not the best game at a wet Twickenham, but they were worthy winners.
Australia really poor apart from that Potter intercept score.
Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina left to come for England this month, while the Wallabies travel to Italy, Ireland and France.
England 25-7 Australia
17:01 , George Flood83 mins: Australia look intent on scoring a last-gasp consolation try with the clock deep in the red.
Pollock is shown yellow as the England infringements pile-up after a quick-tap penalty.
The Wallabies surge for the line, but it’s held up and the final whistle sounds.
England 25-7 Australia
16:59 , George Flood79 mins: Tempers have seriously spilled over late on at Twickenham with both sets of players involved and Genge right in the thick of it.
Order is eventually restored.
TRY! England 25-7 Australia | Luke Cowan-Dickie 75'
16:51 , George Flood75 mins: England are finishing on a real high at Twickenham with their forwards totally bullying tired and undermanned Australia.
Cowan-Dickie celebrates his 50th international cap by scoring their fourth try after a sustained maul.
Fin Smith is on at fly-half and misses the conversion.
TRY! England 20-7 Australia | Alex Mitchell 71'
16:49 , George Flood71 mins: England sustain their huge late pressure as Cowan-Dickie can’t keep hold of the ball during a charge for the line and Paisami gives up another costly penalty.
Into the corner the ball goes again and Mitchell ends up darting over to touch down England’s third try of the afternoon.
Another bad miss from the tee by Ford and the lead stands at 13 with less than 10 minutes to play.
England 15-7 Australia
16:46 , George Flood67 mins: Australia are wilting badly in defence now as they are penalised again at the breakdown and Ford kicks for the corner after trying an initial smart little kick in behind with a free play.
Salakaia-Loto, Lonergan and Daugunu have all been sent on by Joe Schmidt.
Nasser and De Crespigny also into the action.
England 15-7 Australia
16:43 , George FloodAnother memorable moment in the fast ascending England career of Henry Pollock, who, according to the TNT Sports broadcast, has now scored three tries in his last 36 minutes of international rugby.
The man is just pure box office.
A moment for celebration 🙌
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 1, 2025
Pollock scoops a loose kick one-handed, stumbles, then goes over!
Watch every #QuilterNS match live on @TNTSports & @DiscoveryplusUK 📺 pic.twitter.com/zYTmcjxmKR
England 15-7 Australia
16:41 , George Flood65 mins: Another sizzling break from England as Steward feeds the electric Pollock, who is dragged down and Australia get another turnover after the tackle.
TRY! England 15-7 Australia | Henry Pollock 59'
16:35 , George Flood59 mins: An absolutely superb one-handed pick-up from the peroxide-blond Pollock after Roebuck had slapped back a dangerous up-and-under.
He’s watching himself on the big screen and is felled by a tap tackle, but isn’t held so is able to get back up and touch down.
Ford with a bad missed conversion to follow.
England 10-7 Australia
16:32 , George Flood58 mins: Again the Wallabies’ scrum holds its own and Edmed clears into touch near halfway with a beauty of a kick.
Both Australian props have now been changed, with Tom Robertson on for Bell at loosehead.
England 10-7 Australia
16:31 , George Flood55 mins: A first scrum now since England sent on most of their forward replacements, including a starting Lions front row.
Australia hold firm and look to quickly crash their way forward, but Ford strips the ball in the tackle.
It’s a knock-on and Australia will have their scrum tested again.
England 10-7 Australia
16:28 , George Flood53 mins: Australia concede another penalty deep into England territory and another decent attacking opportunity is lost.
England end up engineering a two-on-one chance down the right flank deep in the Wallabies’ 22, but Curry’s pass for Chessum sails out of play.
England 10-7 Australia
16:26 , George Flood51 mins: A crackle of excitement around Twickenham as Feyi-Waboso finds the ball and a bit of space.
However, it eventually goes loose and Australia pour forward to earn a penalty just outside the England 22, which they kick for a lineout.
Here come the forward cavalry for England.
Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Curry and Pollock replace Baxter, George, Heyes, Underhill and Earl.
A 50th cap for Cowan-Dickie and first appearance of the season for Curry for club or country following surgery on a long-standing wrist injury.
England 10-7 Australia
16:23 , George Flood49 mins: Potter with the Matrix-style move to somehow avoid a clothesline from Earl.
Itoje flies forward with a hit that dislodges the ball, but it’s a knock-on and England are stopped in their tracks.
England 10-7 Australia
16:20 , George Flood47 mins: Valetini leads an eye-catching Australian break, though Roebuck makes a terrific challenge to thwart hooker Pollard down the Wallabies’ left flank.
Potter is then penalised for being off his feet at the breakdown.
George is now down receiving treatment for England, who are about to introduce a raft of replacements including Henry Pollock.
England 10-7 Australia
16:18 , George Flood46 mins: An early second-half change in the Australian front row, with Alaalatoa replacing Tupou at tighthead.
England 10-7 Australia
16:16 , George Flood45 mins: A pressure-relieving turnover for Australia inside their 22 after a strong Baxter carry.
Wonderful work from McReight and the visitors can clear their lines.
England 10-7 Australia
16:15 , George Flood43 mins: Plenty of tame possession for Australia at the start of this second half.
England counter-ruck to perfection again and wind up with the penalty, which Ford hammers into touch near the Wallabies’ 22.
This time Pepper takes in George’s throw and England attack at pace into the 22...
England 10-7 Australia
16:11 , George FloodFeels like that half-time break absolutely flew by.
Back underway at Twickenham, where the evening is closing in.
No changes from either side just yet.
An early England lineout goes astray...
England 10-7 Australia
15:58 , George FloodHalf-time
England lead by three points at the interval thanks to an early Ford penalty and Earl’s try, converted successfully by Ford.
Earl and Heyes were both also held up over the line.
Potter’s incredible intercept try converted by Edmed has the Wallabies in touching distance, despite their otherwise blunt attacking display.
England 10-7 Australia
15:56 , George Flood40 mins: A lively end to the first period as Williams gets to a dangerous grubber kick before Roebuck to save another potential England try.
A heart-in-mouth moment then follows for Edmed, whose bizarre kick is straight at Baxter!
Luckily it doesn’t prove costly and the half-time whistle sounds.
England 10-7 Australia
15:54 , George Flood37 mins: There’s been a huge momentum shift at Twickenham, with previously disjointed Australia now on the front foot and flying into tackles.
Potter single-handedly dragging them back into it with that hold-up of Earl and then the intercept try.
TRY! England 10-7 Australia | Harry Potter 34'
15:50 , George Flood34 mins: More wizardry from Harry Potter has the Wallabies in business!
England are camped deep inside the Australia 22 again, but Potter gambles on intercepting Dingwall’s telegraphed pass out to Steward, who should have released Pepper moments before.
It pays off handsomely as he takes it and runs the length of the field to score.
The conversion from Edmed is good to bring Australia within three with half-time fast approaching.
England 10-0 Australia
15:47 , George Flood31 mins: A moment of magic (sorry) from Australia wing Harry Potter as a brilliant piece of defending on the floor holds up Earl and denies him what looked like a certain second try.
England 10-0 Australia
15:45 , George Flood29 mins: England’s scrum repeatedly frustrates the blunt Wallabies again.
Underhill now receiving some treatment.
Australia captain Wilson comes within a whisker of pulling off a dream 50:22 kick.
Yes, he’s a number eight!
England 10-0 Australia
15:41 , George Flood26 mins: A heroic defensive stand from England as they shut that door emphatically, with George and Underhill leading the way.
The Wallabies will be bitterly disappointed to come away with no points there.
England 10-0 Australia
15:39 , George Flood24 mins: England have been under huge pressure straight after the try following Edmed’s kick from a penalty deep into the 22.
Itoje is whistled on the floor and Australia continue to knock on the door...
TRY! England 10-0 Australia | Ben Earl 21'
15:35 , George Flood21 mins: England have their first try of the autumn!
Mitchell with the accurate up-and-under after George leads another fine spot of counter-rucking.
Roebuck takes it and quickly slips in Underhill, who charges forward before teeing up fellow back-rower Earl to stream in for the finish.
Ford’s successful conversion takes England into double figures.
PENALTY! England 3-0 Australia | George Ford 21'
15:32 , George Flood21 mins: Sublime footwork by the lightning-fast Feyi-Waboso, who steps Jorgensen and beats a few defenders in style before his offload is intercepted.
Edmed ends up knocking on under pressure and Ford will look to give England the lead from the tee.
Nails it.
England 0-0 Australia
15:29 , George Flood16 mins: Steward slaps back for Ford after another aerial contest and England are away.
They stream forward at pace, though Freeman is crucially dragged down by Suaalii with Feyi-Waboso in support on his left.
The ball is knocked on, scrum gold.
England are claiming that was a seatbelt tackle by Suaalii, but the referee isn’t interested.
England 0-0 Australia
15:27 , George Flood14 mins: Australia’s attacking pressure is ruined by a smart Roebuck interception.
Here come the Wallabies again as they look to test high-ball specialist Steward, who clashes in the air with Suaalii.
England 0-0 Australia
15:25 , George Flood11 mins: Australia with chances to build a strong attacking platform with a couple of scrums on the edge of England’s 22.
England 0-0 Australia
15:23 , George Flood8 mins: All the early momentum is with England at the moment as they attack close to the line, with the ball eventually held up as Heyes tries to dive over.
They then win another breakdown penalty after the dropout, Suaalii the guilty party this time.
However, they are quickly stopped in their tracks as Freeman gets penalised for coming in at the side.
England 0-0 Australia
15:18 , George Flood6 mins: England are almost in for the opening try of the afternoon after a fine cross-kick from Ford for Feyi-Waboso.
Kellaway stretches to knock the ball out of play at the last!
Was that deliberate? It would be a penalty try if so.
He gets the benefit of the doubt.
England 0-0 Australia
15:17 , George Flood5 mins: Super counter-rucking from England led by George.
Australia are in bother and Tupou is whistled for entering the ruck from the side.
No doubt about that one...
England 0-0 Australia
15:16 , George Flood3 mins: A good start from Australia following an early scrum.
England come under pressure down their right side, before being rather bailed out by a questionable penalty on the deck.
All eyes on how Nika Amashukeli will referee that breakdown...
England vs Australia
15:12 , George FloodUnderway in this autumn opener.
Tane Edmed kicks to get us off and running...
A great atmosphere at a grey, loud and wet Twickenham, where the rain hasn’t stopped the usual pre-match pyrotechnics.
A wonderful ovation for Lewis Moody.
Here come the teams
15:07 , George FloodHere come the teams in south-west London, where the national anthems are imminent.
George Ford comes out first on his own as he receives plaudits for earning his 100th England cap in Argentina in the summer.
Advance Australia Fair will be followed by God Save the King.
Lewis Moody delivers match ball
15:05 , George FloodAn emotional moment coming up as Lewis Moody prepares to deliver the match ball ahead of kick-off.
The former England captain revealed last month that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Rain falling at Twickenham
14:59 , George FloodThere have been intermittent downpours at Twickenham ahead of kick-off this afternoon.
A wet pitch and a greasy ball will certainly make things interesting for both teams.
Expect plenty of high balls from the wily George Ford to put this Australia defence under sustained pressure.
Schmidt hits back over Borthwick's Wallabies claim
14:50 , George FloodJoe Schmidt also hit back at Steve Borthwick’s claims that Australia were far more prepared than England, having been together for a number of months following the Lions series and Rugby Championship.
England, by contrast, have only had four training sessions in camp so far.
“We've had two sessions, actually,” Schmidt said.
“We've just come from Japan where we made 13 changes.
“Cohesion-wise, and also in terms of fatigue, we've had 15 Test matches across 22 weeks in nine countries, and 10 different time zones.
“So I'd be happy to swap that for four trainings, to be honest!”
Schmidt refuses to complain about Australia absentees
14:43 , George FloodIt’s somewhat of a bizarre situation at Twickenham today where England have all their Premiership players available, but Australians from the same clubs are unable to feature.
However, Joe Schmidt refused to complain about the issue in the build-up to this game.
“We always try to favour home-based players anyway,” he said.
“It's not really a distraction for us. It's an opportunity. I just knew that was the case already, so it hasn't been a distraction or frustration.
“You often get dealt a set of cards, and while you may shuffle the deck a little bit or try to steal a card from somewhere else, if those cards aren't available, you shuffle what you've got and try to put out your best hand.
'”And we feel that we've got a hand that can challenge England - but we know how good they are and that might not be enough, but we're certainly going to give it a try.”
Atmosphere building
14:25 , George FloodThe atmosphere is already building nicely at Allianz Stadium with less than an hour to go before kick-off.
England will not want reminding of their last clash with Australia, who ran out surprise 42-37 winners at Twickenham last autumn after Max Jorgensen’s last-gasp try in a proper thriller.
England had won 10 of the 11 meetings before then, losing only a summer Test in 2022 in a series they won and of course a 2015 clash when they were dumped out in the pool stage of their own World Cup under Stuart Lancaster.
England shade the overall head-to-head record by 28 wins to 27, with one draw.
England seek inspiration from 'Bazball' approach
14:18 , George FloodThis is far from the only England vs Australia showdown taking place this autumn/winter, with the two nations also going head to head in the second Test of the rugby league Ashes in Liverpool today after the Aussies’ 26-6 win last weekend.
Of course the cricket Ashes are also on the way Down Under beginning later this month, with Steve Borthwick and Co attempting to gain some insight into the ‘Bazball’ mentality this week.
"We talked about loads of stuff and there was a lot of mindset stuff," said England assistant Richard Wigglesworth.
"I asked Brendon [McCullum] how he changed that in English cricket, which was really interesting.
“Then we got into the technicalities of coaching someone one-on-one, what that looks like, his role as head coach in that versus his assistants.
"We sat for a good period of time and took loads from it. They're on to a good thing."
England aiming to lay down World Cup marker with clean sweep
13:57 , George FloodIt was only a year ago that dark clouds were forming over Twickenham and the pressure was on England to deliver, writes Simon Collings.
Steve Borthwick’s side went into the Autumn Nations Series having won just four of their previous eight Tests and it felt like the knives were sharpening.
What a difference 12 months makes. Fast forward to now and the mood music has completely changed.
England host Australia this weekend with a spring in their step as they look to make it eight wins on the bounce.
After that, Borthwick’s men face Fiji before playing New Zealand and then Argentina.
There is a genuine belief England could achieve a clean sweep, something they have managed just once when playing four matches in an autumn programme.
Australia hit back at England 'whinging' over breakdown tactics
13:50 , George FloodThere are so many fascinating subplots to watch in today’s game, not least the refereeing of the breakdown.
The Telegraph reported earlier this week that Steve Borthwick had raised as many as 40 examples of Australia’s alleged illegal tactics in that area when he met with Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, focused on unpunished side entries at the ruck.
England are said to have raised concerns over player welfare, as well as advantages gained.
"For us, the refs have a lot on their minds,” Australia captain Harry Wilson said in response this week.
“They're under the pump. We just want to try and make it as easy as we can for them by trying to be as square as possible, so there's not too much whinging about it.
“Firstly I’d like to question how many of them are illegal.
“And to say they’re dangerous, they are definitely not. There’s no way Joe [Schmidt] will coach a team to be illegal at the breakdown.
“I think we’ve had over 2,000 rucks this year and for them to cherrypick a couple of rucks out of it, it’s quite amusing.
“We’re pretty excited for the opportunity to go out there and have a really good fair game.”
England vs Australia prediction
13:32 , George FloodEngland head into this series in a great place following an impressive 2025 so far that has seen them bounce back from their worst run of results since 2018 last year that included three defeats from four matches in the autumn, where their only victory came against Japan.
Steve Borthwick’s men have now won seven matches in succession after following up a strong end to the Six Nations - in which they put 68 points on Wales - with a hat-trick of summer triumphs in Argentina and the USA.
They will now be eager to inflict revenge on an improving Australia team that sprung a shock in south-west London 12 months ago and made things tougher than expected against the Lions, with Borthwick continuing to reshuffle his backroom staff to find the right combinations - the permanent addition of Lee Blackett as attack coach representing a sizable coup in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup.
Boosted by their returning Lions contingent and with the Wallabies missing some important names, we’re opting for a home win this weekend in what should be an entertaining, physical showdown.
England to win, by 10 points.
England vs Australia lineups
13:28 , George FloodEngland XV: Steward; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Feyi-Waboso; Ford, Mitchell; Baxter, George, Heyes; Itoje (c), Chessum; Pepper, Underhill, Earl
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Coles, Curry, Pollock, Spencer, F Smith
Australia XV: Kellaway; Jorgensen, Suaalii, Paisami, Potter; Edmed, J Gordon; Bell, Pollard, Tupou; Frost, Williams; Valetini, McReight, Wilson (c)
Replacements: Nasser, Robertson, Alaalatoa, Salakaia-Loto, Champion de Crespigny, Lonergan, Stewart, Daugunu
Australia team news: Edmed starts at fly-half
13:26 , George FloodTane Edmed gets the nod at fly-half for Australia today for only his fourth cap, supported by Hamish Stewart rather than Carter Gordon.
There is no Tom Lynagh or Ben Donaldson along with James O’Connor, with Noah Lolesio still out injured.
Taniela ‘Tongan Thor’ Tupou earns a recall at tighthead prop.
The likes of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Max Jorgensen are back after being rested for last week’s 19-15 warm-up win over Eddie Jones’ Japan in a rainy Tokyo, while Harry Wilson captains the team from the back row.
Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams are partnered at lock with no Will Skelton, while star man Suaalii plays alongside Hunter Paisami in the centres in the absence of Len Ikitau.
Andrew Kellaway has recovered from a calf injury to line up at full-back.
Australia team news: No Skelton or Ikitau
13:21 , George FloodToday’s fixture technically falls outside of World Rugby’s official three-week international window, though England were able to secure an agreement with the RFU and the Premiership to ensure they still had all their players available.
That is not the case for Australia, who are missing two huge Europe-based stars in towering lock Will Skelton and centre Len Ikitau, as well as the likes of veteran fly-half James O’Connor and flanker Tom Hooper.
England team news: Pepper picked ahead of Curry
13:13 , George FloodEngland have showcased their significant front-row depth with Fin Baxter, Jamie George and Joe Heyes starting and Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie - set to earn his 50th cap - and Will Stuart on the bench.
Lions captain Maro Itoje returns to lead the side from lock, where he is joined by Ollie Chessum.
Borthwick has gone for three-cap Bath star Guy Pepper in the back row ahead of Tom Curry, who has yet to play for Sale this season.
He is joined by Sam Underhill and Ben Earl. There is no Tom Willis after he agreed to join Bordeaux.
England have opted for a 6-2 bench split, with Ben Spencer and Fin Smith the back cover.
There are six Lions among the replacements, including Henry Pollock.
England team news: Ford starts at fly-half
13:04 , George FloodSteve Borthwick has rewarded George Ford for his fine summer showings against Argentina with the starting fly-half job this afternoon, with Fin Smith on the bench and Marcus Smith not involved at all.
Tommy Freeman starts at outside centre in an all-Northampton midfield pairing with Fraser Dingwall, with Freddie Steward at full-back and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Roebuck out wide.
There is no Ollie Lawrence or Henry Slade in the matchday squad, while Owen Farrell was not selected for the autumn despite his return to Saracens and late summer call-up to the Lions.
Alex Mitchell starts at scrum-half, with Ben Spencer in reserve.
How to watch England vs Australia
12:58 , George FloodTV channel: In the UK, England vs Australia in the 2025 Quilter Nations Series is available to watch live on TNT Sports.
Coverage begins at 2pm GMT on TNT Sports 1.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also watch the game live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
England vs Australia live
12:53 , George FloodGood afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage as England begin their Autumn Nations Series campaign against Australia at Allianz Stadium Twickenham.
Steve Borthwick’s side are hunting an eighth successive win after an impressive Six Nations and summer Test victories in Argentina and the USA, with their British and Irish Lions contingent back in action as they look to maximise their ranking ahead of next month’s 2027 World Cup draw.
They face a Wallabies team that won here at the death in a thriller 12 months ago and pushed the Lions harder than expected before finishing third in the Rugby Championship, but who are missing their Europe-based stars.
Kick-off today is at 3.10pm GMT, so stay tuned for match build-up, team news, lineups and live updates.
This game rarely disappoints...
