England defeat Australia 45-22 as Dawson praises step up

England beat Australia 45-22 in the Nations Championship on Sunday, a result Matt Dawson described in his BBC Sport column as an impressive performance by Steve Borthwick's side. Dawson wrote that the victory represented a clear improvement on recent displays.

"Beating Australia with their record points tally against the Wallabies was a very positive way for England to start the autumn series, given the break they have had and how the beginning of the year went," Dawson wrote, adding: "I am not saying by any stretch that it was the perfect performance but, all in all, it was a massive step up from the Six Nations and even from the Nations Championship games in the summer." He judged England to have been accurate, disciplined and creative throughout the match.

Dawson said he had expected a sterner test from Australia before kick-off: "Before the game, I was expecting Australia to provide much more of a stern test." He argued the scale of England's victory owed more to their own level of performance than to any single failing by the Wallabies: "Some people might be a bit too critical of Australia, saying they did not turn up, but I think it edges more towards how well England played than how average Australia were."

A few days before the match, Dawson recalled Jamie George saying the squad had been galvanised by a newspaper article alleging player unrest over Borthwick's leadership; Dawson quoted the wider culture inside camps as a reason for the response: "When you are inside those international camps, you are very deliberate in staying tight and not letting anybody in in whatever way, shape or form, therefore you become very sensitive to any kind of criticism. There is a reason for doing that - it draws you together and allows you to create a bit more determination and drive to be successful."

Dawson highlighted England's back-line attacking threat, naming George Furbank, Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and adding that Fin Smith and Henry Slade also deserved credit for their roles. He described Feyi-Waboso as a game-changer: "Feyi-Waboso is X-factor, there is no question about that," and noted of an early disallowed score that "For his early disallowed try, he shifted his weight and beat someone with that pace - I do not think there are many people in the world who could do that."

He pointed to improvements in ruck speed and momentum and singled out individual contributions: "Fin Smith is leading the team, he looks like he is a general and in control of the game." Dawson also detailed Henry Pollock's impact off the bench after Feyi-Waboso's injury: Pollock scored two of England's seven tries after coming on to play on the wing, and "Henry Pollock has five tries in four Nations Championship matches, with only New Zealand's Will Jordan (six) scoring more." He described Pollock's blend of pace, power and hands as providing selection flexibility.

Dawson praised the bench and selection choices: "The whole bench did really well and made a difference. It does not mean that just because he has got one right, the autumn is going to go swimmingly well, but from the off the selection has been right, the gameplan was a bit more expansive than I thought it was going to be and they absolutely nailed the execution." He summarised the gameplan as balanced: "Tactically, I loved the balance of the England performance; a really dominant set-piece, driving mauls and in-your-face defence." He added that England demonstrated they could maintain concentration and discipline: "Against Australia, they proved they have the capability to be disciplined and maintain concentration - and I want to see that over the next three weeks."

Dawson closed by setting out the immediate test for England: "Can they, under more pressure - because they are going to face more pressure, particularly against New Zealand - still maintain that discipline and decision-making? They have got the assets to overpower Japan, but can they do it by giving away fewer than 10 penalties? Can they do it by having 15 people on the pitch for 80 minutes? All of the little things they have been after, can they do them against a team they should beat comfortably? If they can, then when they go into the New Zealand game with it all to play for and when they are really testing themselves, they are going to have huge momentum."