Pollock's double and seven-try onslaught see England overwhelm Australia in Nations Championship

England scored seven tries to beat Australia in a Nations Championship match reported on 8 November 2026, with replacement winger Henry Pollock crossing twice in the second half.

England’s performance came after a turbulent build-up, with local newspaper stories suggesting unrest around coach Steve Borthwick; the team responded emphatically on the field and produced what the report described as a record number of points against Australia. The match offered England a markedly improved display following a difficult Six Nations campaign that had placed Borthwick’s regime under pressure, with the side’s defence, discipline and desire noted as conspicuous throughout.

Jamie George, Ollie Chessum and Joe Heyes scored first-half tries for England, while Jack van Poortvliet added a score shortly after the interval. Max Jorgensen intercepted a telegraphed pass from Van Poortvliet to give Australia a try before half-time, which Ryan Lonergan converted; later in the game Filipo Daugunu and Jeremy Williams crossed for Australia as consolation scores and Ben Spencer finished the match for England with an interception try.

Manny Feyi-Waboso was a constant threat early on, having a potential second-minute try ruled out for a clear forward pass in the buildup identified as coming from Ben Curry, and he was withdrawn at half-time. Angus Bell received a yellow card for illegally dragging down Feyi-Waboso under the clampdown on knee- and hip-drop tackles, and shortly after that England drove over for Heyes’s maul finish to lead 19-3 while Australia were down to 14 men.

The first half statistics favoured England heavily, with seven clean breaks to Australia’s one and the game largely played in the Wallabies’ half; Australia’s only points in that period had come from a midfield offside. The report also noted England’s season-long inconsistency had often been linked to disciplinary lapses and that they perform better when they keep 15 players on the field.

Van Poortvliet’s earlier intercepted pass that gifted Australia a score was followed by a quick response after half-time, when Tommy Freeman’s long inside pass set up Van Poortvliet to score. Pollock, introduced as a replacement and switched to the left wing after Feyi-Waboso’s exit, made ground with his first carry and then finished twice, after 54 minutes and again three minutes later, celebrated with his now familiar "pulse check" gesture.

The result was framed in the report as a comprehensive victory for England and a timely confidence boost after recent scrutiny; the piece noted that if England can reproduce a similar strike rate against Japan and New Zealand over the next two Saturdays they may still have a chance of featuring in the Nations Championship final on home turf at the end of the month.