England
Elliot Daly Knock-on led to Koroibete’s try and he was made to look foolish by the Australia winger’s finish. Joins the line so well, though. 6
Anthony Watson His footwork gave Koroibete a torrid time and was rewarded for his efforts with a try. Commanding under the high ball. 8
Henry Slade Strange one. Notably rusty at times but his kick for May’s second try was the sublime moment of the match. 7
Manu Tuilagi It was his tackle that stopped Australia’s early onslaught after 18 phases and his powerful carry that led to May’s first try. 7
Jonny May Touched the ball three times in the first half and finished with two tries. Rolled up his sleeves in second half but injured late on. 8
Owen Farrell (capt) What. A. Pass. Nothing “clunky” about this display. Who knew he was an accomplished fly-half? Also flawless from the tee. 9
Ben Youngs Much better from the one player England cannot afford to lose. Not a great start but made a clever dart down the left. 7
Mako Vunipola Made 18 tackles in his 69 minutes, which is remarkable for someone who had not started a match since May. A great return. 8
Jamie George Lineout was not perfect and he gave away one penalty but a player who raises his game when temperature is at its highest. 8
Kyle Sinckler Scored a first England try and made a key turnover with his side under the pump. “A runaway rhino,” said Eddie Jones. 8
Maro Itoje Put his head where it hurts. Did not give Genia a moment’s peace and exemplifies the aggressive, powerful nature of this side. 8
Courtney Lawes Put himself about in the first half, softening up opponents so teammates could take full advantage later on. 7
Tom Curry Stunning performance from England’s youngest player. Truckloads of tackles and a relentless appetite for work. 9
Sam Underhill Whenever Australia’s tails were up, he produced a tackle to give his side a boost. Out on his feet by the end but out of this world. 9
Billy Vunipola He is being well shackled by opponents but kept plugging away. The attention he receives creates space for others. 7
Replacements: Matt Toomua (for Lealiifano, 53) 6, Taniela Tupou (for Alaalatoa, 61) One powerful run 7, Nic White (for Genia, 61) Looked lively 7, Jordan Uelese (for Latu, 66) 6, Adam Coleman (for Arnold, 66) 5, James Slipper (for Sio, 69) n/a, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (for Naisarani, 69) n/a, James O’Connor (for Petaia, 74) n/a
Australia
Kurtley Beale A couple of loose kicks and his pass was intercepted by Watson. Looked threatening in space but among the most culpable. 5
Reece Hodge Wonderful pass to release Koroibete, evading Slade’s rush out of the line, but he will be feeling that hit by Curry for days. 6
Jordan Petaia Made seamless transition to outside-centre, brushing off Curry in the opening minutes. Bright future ahead. 7
Samu Kerevi Had some early joy in the first half with his direct running but did not quite have the same impact after half-time. 7
Marika Koroibete Two remarkable solo tries, albeit the second disallowed. Jones set up England to counter his threat but he showed his quality. 7
Christian Lealiifano Conceded one penalty at the breakdown but things got a lot more loose when he went off with Australia chasing the game. 6
Will Genia Brings the curtain down on his international career in disappointing fashion. Struggled to evade attention of Itoje. 5
Scott Sio Got the better of Sinckler in early scrum exchanges and made his tackles but his influence waned as the match wore on. 5
Tolu Latu Was one of Australia’s busiest forwards at breakdown but could not handle England’s intensity. Was at fault for Sinckler’s try. 5
Allan Alaalatoa His handling error put Wallabies under pressure, handing England a scrum deep in Australia’s 22. A decent tournament nonetheless. 6
Izack Rodda Led way in making life difficult for England in the lineout but there was a gulf in class between the two second-row pairings. 6
Rory Arnold The statistics say he carried seven times for no metres, which sums up how hard the Australia forwards found it to make a dent. 6
David Pocock The end of a remarkable international career. His poor pass led to May’s second try but got through plenty of work. 6
Michael Hooper (capt) Always involved, made tackles and forced two turnovers. A big decision to go for a scrum under the posts and it did not pay off. 8
Isi Naisarani Will have nightmares of fielding restarts with Underhill charging at him. Wasted one good chance but got through 18 carries. 7
Replacements: Matt Toomua (for Lealiifano, 53) 6, Taniela Tupou (for Alaalatoa, 61) One powerful run 7, Nic White (for Genia, 61) Looked lively 7, Jordan Uelese (for Latu, 66) 6, Adam Coleman (for Arnold, 66) 5, James Slipper (for Sio, 69) n/a, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (for Naisarani, 69) n/a, James O’Connor (for Petaia, 74) n/a
