Borthwick’s England rout Australia at Twickenham in emphatic win on November 8, 2026
Steve Borthwick’s England demolished Australia at Twickenham on November 8, 2026, recording a club-best margin described in the match report. The performance was presented as evidence that the coach’s programme is yielding a more complete team.
After weeks of being described as a work in progress, England produced a version of themselves the writer felt resembled a finished product, showing few excuses or explanations after the game. The side’s response was intensified by recent criticism in the back pages of the Times about a tour of Argentina last summer, which England’s senior players publicly rejected; Maro Itoje said: “The article didn’t represent the man I recognise, or the environment I recognise,” he said. “Steve is a world-class coach and we’re lucky to have him.” The match was judged by the report to be one of England’s best outings since Borthwick took charge and their strongest display since they beat New Zealand at Twickenham this time last year.
England dominated from the opening moments, with Immanuel Feyi‑Waboso bursting through the midfield for a try that was disallowed because of a forward pass from Ben Curry in the build-up. The report notes World Rugby has been handing out heart rate monitors to fans at these autumn matches and that Feyi‑Waboso’s involvement in the first half would have produced significant spikes; he has averaged 100 metres a game so far in this tournament and added substantial yardage in the 40 minutes he played before leaving injured.
Feyi‑Waboso suffered an injury after an illegal tackle by Angus Bell and his overall active contribution was limited to roughly 30 minutes, the account says, with the final 10 he played in the first half spent limping. Borthwick was reported as still unsure how bad Feyi‑Waboso’s injury is.
Henry Pollock replaced Feyi‑Waboso shortly after half-time and scored two tries, one after reacting to a fumbled intercept and another following a run into clear space along the right wing. The crowd were initially uncertain when Pollock was named but he celebrated by standing still and stroking his chin; Borthwick commented: “He was excellent,” Borthwick said. “The downside is that now we’re going to have to hear all about it.” The report also observed that Pollock’s selection represented a positional switch, using a flanker on the wing.
Despite some early errors — the report cites a couple of scrum penalties and a couple of poor lineout throws — England’s performance was described as authoritative, producing a record victory and a blue‑riband result against an Australian side that had recently beaten the Springboks. The writer noted Borthwick even managed to smile at the final whistle.
The article linked the team’s sharper display to the indignation created by the recent coverage, citing a historical parallel in which Eddie Jones used external criticism to spur an 18‑game unbeaten run in 2016. It concluded that the players appeared to have been galvanised by the controversy surrounding the recent reporting.
England will be hoping for a speedy recovery for Feyi‑Waboso ahead of their match against the All Blacks in a fortnight; Borthwick, the report records, remained unsure how serious the winger’s injury is.