England 45-22 Australia: Henry Pollock scores twice after switch to wing

Henry Pollock scored twice in an unexpected appearance on the wing as England beat Australia 45-22 at Twickenham, recording their highest points total against the Wallabies.

The Northampton back-rower replaced the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at half-time and struck twice in two minutes to put the Nations Championship contest beyond Australia.

England scored seven tries, with Jamie George, Ollie Chessum, Joe Heyes, Jack van Poortvliet and Ben Spencer also crossing. Fin Smith added five conversions.

Injuries to Feyi-Waboso and Seb Atkinson tempered the result for Steve Borthwick, but his side finished the afternoon second in the Northern Hemisphere standings, two points behind France.

Henry Pollock makes his mark on the wing

England had selected six forwards and two backs among their replacements, making Pollock’s versatility particularly valuable when Feyi-Waboso could not continue.

His impact went beyond the two finishes. A strong carry helped launch the attack for Van Poortvliet’s try shortly after the restart, with George Furbank breaking through midfield and Tommy Freeman supplying the scrum-half.

Pollock then collected a loose pass to score in the 55th minute before racing over again on the right two minutes later. England had moved from a 19-10 half-time lead to 38-10, ending any realistic prospect of an Australian recovery.

The 21-year-old has now scored eight tries in 14 Tests, according to Associated Press. His afternoon was an emphatic demonstration of the attacking threat he can offer away from his usual position.

George sets record as England’s pack takes control

Feyi-Waboso appeared to have given England an early lead, but his finish was disallowed for a forward pass in the build-up.

The hosts soon made their pressure count through George, who scored from a driving maul. It was his 18th Test try, taking him past Lawrence Dallaglio as England’s leading try-scoring forward.

Ryan Lonergan’s penalty put Australia on the board, but Chessum finished in the corner before Heyes added another close-range score. Australia prop Angus Bell was also sent to the sin-bin for a hip-drop tackle.

At 19-3, England looked well placed to take a commanding advantage into the interval. Instead, Max Jorgensen intercepted Van Poortvliet’s pass and raced away, with Lonergan’s conversion cutting the gap to nine points.

That late first-half setback made England’s response after the break significant. Van Poortvliet finished the move that restored their cushion before Pollock’s double settled the contest.

Spencer has final say after Australia’s late tries

Australia found some reward in the closing stages through Filipo Daugunu and Jeremy Williams, with Ben Donaldson converting the latter’s try.

Spencer then intercepted to score England’s seventh, completing a victory in which their forwards supplied the early platform and their attacking options out wide increasingly stretched the visitors.

The official competition report confirmed that England’s 45 points were their most against Australia. The bonus-point win leaves them on 15 points in the Northern Hemisphere standings, with France on 17.

England return to Twickenham to face Japan on Saturday 14 November at 4.40pm GMT, before hosting New Zealand a week later. Feyi-Waboso’s ankle problem and Atkinson’s hip injury will require assessment before Borthwick settles on his next side.

England: Tries — George, Chessum, Heyes, Van Poortvliet, Pollock (2), Spencer. Conversions — Fin Smith (5).

Australia: Tries — Jorgensen, Daugunu, Williams. Conversions — Lonergan, Donaldson. Penalty — Lonergan.