The build-up was marked by questions over England's form, which has been poor for most of 2026, and a reported rift between players and coaches during the summer.

Senior players angrily insisted on Friday the squad and staff were still united, and their performance on Sunday would demonstrate as such.

There are stiffer Tests to come, with New Zealand arriving in a fortnight, but Borthwick sailed through this referendum with flying colours.

His team played with determination and physicality, but also dexterity and ambition, in their most complete display of the year by a long margin.

They were heartily endorsed by the home crowd, who spent the final quarter serenading their side with Swing Low and willing Henry Pollock, brought on to fill in for wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, to complete a hat-trick after an enterprising cameo out wide.

Pollock was denied his third, but it was one of the few things his side missed out on during a most satisfying outing.

Feyi-Waboso brings X-factor before injury strikes again

Borthwick had made a fast start, along with tidying up discipline, a key aim for his side.

They seemed to have delivered on the former inside 120 seconds. After a typically bustling carry from Ben Earl, soft hands from the excellent Seb Atkinson and Fin Smith released Feyi-Waboso on a carving line that took him under the posts.

It was a moment full of the intensity, intention and invention that England are desperate to show.

Unfortunately for the hosts the celebrations were curtailed, with the score chalked off for Ben Curry's pass straying forward to Ollie Chessum in a previous phase.

They didn't have to wait long however.

On eight minutes, Australia's own indiscipline paved the way to the first England try.

After an obstruction as England chased a kick, Smith put his forwards into the corner and their driven maul survived Australia's counter and wound its way over the line, with Jamie George locked on for the score.

A loose and limp Australia provided the perfect backdrop for a statement in the first half.

Feyi-Waboso was the swerving, centre point of England's early endeavour.

After missing the entirety of the Six Nations through injury, the 23-year-old brings electric pace and evasion to the backline.

His break set up a prime position, deep inside Australia's 22m, for England's second try, with Henry Slade and George Furbank's raking miss passes giving Chessum room to canter in.

With Australia prop Angus Bell yellow-carded for a hip-drop tackle on Feyi-Waboso, Joe Heyes splintered off the side of a driven maul to put England 19-3 clear after little more than half an hour.

It was the least their dominance deserved.

However Max Jorgensen's interception on the stroke of half-time, picking off Jack van Poortvliet's pass to race away under the posts, evoked memories of 2024.

In the teams' meeting that year, Australia hung on to the coat-tails of a fast-starting England before Jorgensen scored a last-gasp decisive try to seal the Wallabies' win.

With Feyi-Waboso failing to return after the break, back row Pollock brought off the bench to fill a wing spot in the absence of back-three replacements and their lead only nine, England were not clear of danger.

However a delicious try, created by Furbank's pinpoint incision and deft offload, Freeman's inside pass and scorer Van Poortvliet's support line, restored England's cushion after the restart, in the final play before Bell's return from the sin bin.

A quick-fire double from Pollock extended the hosts' advantage. For his first try he snaffled a loose ball and picked a path to the line, before showing his pace from further out to round off a lovely move featuring Smith, Freeman and Furbank.

Australia were 38-10 down and set to record a losing margin against England, eclipsing the 24 points they were beaten by in 2017 and 2019.

Tries from Filipo Daugunu and Jeremy Williams in the final 20 minutes averted that fate, but there was no disguising the gulf between the teams.

With a home Rugby World Cup to come in less than a year, Wallabies boss Les Kiss, who was visibly angry in the coaches' box, has plenty of work to do.

So does Borthwick, who saw Ben Spencer intercept and dive over for his first Test try to round off victory.

He will have concerns over centre Atkinson, who departed with a painful-looking leg injury in the second half, and Feyi-Waboso, who emerged at full-time in a protective boot.

But the England head coach can advance into autumn in a position of considerably more comfort.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Martin, Fisilau, Pollock, Spencer, M Smith

Replacements: Nasser, Kailea, Tupou, Valetini, Tizzano, McDermott, Donaldson, Daugunu