England 32-15 Australia: First-half showing sets hosts on path to Twickenham victory

Steward scored the first try of the afternoon after neat interplay between Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith

England passed their first serious test of the autumn as an incisive first-half attacking performance paved the way to an eighth straight victory over Australia.

James O'Connor's boot kept a dogged Australia in the fight, cutting the hosts' lead to 16-15 after the break.

But as the game got scrappy, England crept clear via a series of penalties before replacement hooker Jamie Blamire took advantage of some tired, stretched defence to motor in for his sixth try in just four Test appearances in the final passage of play.

Head coach Eddie Jones has called for this autumn to mark a watershed. An influx of new names is intended to flush out complacencies and propel the team towards the Rugby World Cup in France in two years' time.

The next generation have come with a fresh philosophy and their licence to play more freely was obvious early on.

The forwards combined well, offloading to turn half-breaks into major gains, while the backline, marshalled by Marcus Smith, frequently found holes.

The busy Jamie George, left out of the initial squad for the autumn, came closest to adding the second try their first-half invention deserved.

The hooker steamed through a hole from Courtney Lawes' quick hands only to be stopped short and then had the ball dislodged by a superb last-ditch tackle from Nic White as he dived over the line.

Jonny Hill was held up over the line at the bottom of a diving maul after the break, but it was a rare threatening moment for England.

The hosts' all-court ambition gave way to pragmatism in the final quarter as they fell back on their familiar strengths and some of the early enthusiasm drained out of the Twickenham crowd.

More to follow.

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