England vs Australia match report: Eddie Jones' men see off Wallabies to make history and finish perfect year in style

England 37 Australia 21: The home side fought back in the second half to secure victory and ensure they remain unbeaten in 2016

England's players celebrate with Ben Youngs after scoring his side's third try against Australia (Getty)

Four wins out of four in their autumn series, 13 out of 13 in the calendar year, a national-record-equalling 14th victory in succession – all England supporters will revel in the figures, but maybe more so in the pride and belligerence showed by Dylan Hartley’s team in an enthralling final Test of 2016.

Jonathan Joseph’s two tries led the way as England worked their way through a very difficult opening period of Australian dominance before dismissing their old rivals definitively in the second half.

The two countries can be bracketed with Ireland as the teams snapping at the heels of the world-leading All Blacks but the wearers of the red rose, cleverly schooled and cajoled by their head coach Eddie Jones, must be considered in the vanguard of that trio, having consolidated a solid second place in the global rankings after this result.

The meeting of the Irish and English at the culmination of the Six Nations Championship next March is already one to look forward to with immense relish, and the contrast in emotions could not be greater between the end of this year and the way England limped out of 2015 as beaten World Cup hosts.

Marland Yarde manages to touch down under pressure from Israel Folau to score his side's second try (Getty)

For a long initial spell of waves of Australian attack, England were struggling to catch their breath, and grateful to be only 10-0 down after 15 minutes.

Straight-running Australian backs and forwards were making straightforward ground across the gainline and it needed all England’s pride and scrambling efforts to keep the score down.

A kicking lapse, helped, too, as the Wallabies’ fly-half Bernard Foley – who with seven out of eight of Australia’s starting pack today had revelled in the 33-13 shellacking they gave England in the World Cup here 14 months ago – missed a penalty head on to the posts.

Another let-off began with a brilliant turnover by full-back Mike Brown that ended one Australian attack only for a counter to have Owen Farrell and Brown engaged in a shambolic scramble and spared an embarrassing try by David Pocock’s knock-on as he dived on top of Farrell on the England goalline.

Israel Folau looks to break free of Owen Farrell (Getty)

The inevitable opening try arrived in the seventh minute as a ricochet off Dylan Hartley’s knee gave Australia possession at a scrum, Brown and Marland Yarde were sucked infield and Seva Naivalu ran in his second try in successive matches after scoring in the loss in Ireland last week that ruined Australia’s tour.

Previous wins over Wales, Scotland and France had shown the Wallabies were in better nick than the injury-hit squad whitewashed 3-0 by England down under in June.

England trusted their strength in depth to see them through, after Twickenham wins over South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in the past three weeks, in the absence of front-liners Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury, James Haskell, Ant Watson and Jack Nowell among others.

They had Nathan Hughes doing a more than passable impression of the injured Vunipola’s carrying from No.8, while Vunipola’s brother Mako continues to set staggeringly brilliant standards for beautiful lines of support by a loosehead prop.

Ben Youngs celebrates his try (Getty)

A penalty by Farrell as Kane Douglas entered a line-out drive from the side got the home side’s score moving on 17 minutes.

Then Yarde’s terrific chase of George Ford’s canny hoof downfield gave the crowd the chance to find its voice, even though Dane Haylett-Petty recovered to carry over.

Farrell collected a second penalty before Joseph’s bright-minded try nudged England ahead – the Bath centre won the chase to a loose ball toed towards the posts by Farrell after Sekope Kepu, who together with Tevita Kuridrani had been held up on the England line in two near misses during the early drama, threw a messy pass along the deck.

Farrell’s conversion and two penalties by Foley had Australia ahead by three points at half-time.

The much-talked-about scrums were yielding each team succour by turns, as Dan Cole conceded one penalty for collapsing, then Scott Sio suffered in kind in the third minute of the second half, to help England into a prime attacking position deep in the Wallabies’ half.

It culminated in Joseph, crabbing across field left to right, dabbing a kick through for Yarde to chase with Israel Folau. The video replays were pored over; did Yarde’s left hand finesse the ball forward? The Irish video official Peter Fitzgibbon said all was fine and Farrell’s conversion put England 20-16 up.

Five minutes later England had a third try, as Hughes made a clattering run and scrum-half Ben Youngs burst over from a tapped penalty, with Farrell converting and adding a penalty for 30-16.

The reassurance offered by the goal-kicking accuracy of the 25-year-old Saracen, Farrell, should never be underestimated – six successes from six attempts on this occasion.

Jones had said on the eve of this match that Australia would “come out in the first 20 minutes like there's no tomorrow” but England were “equipped to handle it and we'll win the game in the last 20”.

Dane Haylett-Petty and Jonny May clash in the air to seize to try and claim a high ball (Getty)

The shrewd Aussie’s only error was to be conservative in the second part of the prediction, as the majority inside Twickenham had settled into a contented purr going into the last quarter.

Kepu’s try after a line-break by Folau had them agonising briefly, although Foley missed the conversion when a gap of seven points was in the offing.

Ford followed suit, sending a penalty well wide from a tricky angle just after Farrell had been replaced by Ben Te’o.

But a sign of England’s confidence and clear thinking came as they nudged their next penalty belligerently into touch, after Australia had Haylett-Petty sent to the sin bin for a late shoulder charge on Brown. No points accrued but it left the Wallabies urgently in need of a way out of their own territory.

The experienced Pocock’s anxiety was translated into an awful looped miss-pass to Folau that was picked off by Joseph’s fingertips as England’s No.13 joyously collected his 13th try for his country.

Scorers:

England: Tries: Joseph 2, Yarde, Youngs; conversions: Farrell 3, Ford; penalties: Farrell 3

Australia: Tries: Naivalu, Kepu; conversion: Foley; penalties: Foley 3

England: M Brown; M Yarde, J Joseph, O Farrell (rep B Te’o, 67 mins), J May; G Ford, B Youngs (D Care 63); M Vunipola (J Marler 59), D Hartley (capt; J George 59), D Cole (K Sinckler 67), C Lawes, G Kruis (C Ewels 73), C Robshaw (T Harrison 69), T Wood, N Hughes.

Australia: I Folau; D Haylett-Petty, T Kuridrani, R Hodge (Q Cooper 69), S Naivalu (H Speight 69); B Foley, N Phipps (N Frisby 69); S Sio (T Robertson 58), S Moore (capt; T Latu 73), S Kepu (J Slipper 73), K Douglas (D Mumm 69), R Simmons, D Pocock, M Hooper, L Timani (S McMahon 67).

Referee: J Peyper (South Africa).