England vs. Australia: Winners and Losers

England saw off the challenge of Australia to emerge from Twickenham as 26-17 victors on Saturday, bringing an end to their autumn international series with a flourish.

Ben Morgan scored two tries as part of what will be seen as England's best performance this month—a big improvement on the defeats to New Zealand and South Africa.

Again, the Wallabies will have to take their lessons from a losing result, but each side will hope to learn from the drama that unfolded on Saturday. Overall, it was Stuart Lancaster's team that unsurprisingly took the bigger share of positives.

Winner: Ben Morgan Provides Pleasing Billy Vunipola Alternative

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Not only is Morgan now seen as ample replacement for Billy Vunipola, but also the Gloucester bruiser may well be seen by some as the more deserving choice to start in England's No. 8 jersey.

Injury to Vunipola meant that Morgan was afforded his shot against the Wallabies—and a courageous brace of tries showed initiative from the 25-year-old in wanting to make sure his impact was felt.

By the time next year's Rugby World Cup arrives, Morgan will be 26 and edging closer to his playing prime. Vunipola, meanwhile, has just turned 22, and (despite his promise) it's the stronger current talent who's needed for the international contest.

Should he continue to grow as an international talent, Morgan may well begin to see his admirers grow in number. Having also recorded 13 tackles against Australia, he's doing more than merely attack, too.

Loser: Wallabies Scrum Fails to Make a Dent

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Although it's never been seen as a tradition for Australia's scrum to be its forte, it's certainly one area in which the Wallabies may look to improve if they're to jostle with rugby's big boys once again.

In recent years, the pack performance has come under fire for its failure to threaten opponents as it once might have. Again, England found it too easy to dominate the set piece on Saturday.

On 11 English feeds, Australia did manage to steal one of the host team's put-ins (losing none of their own five)—but for a team that should be sitting among the cream of the crop, more is needed.

Morgan's second try provided a perfect example of how sides are no longer afraid to take on the Australians' pack. And the depth at prop—in particular—could do with some improvement.

Winner: Brad Barritt Doing His Bit to Tie Down No. 13 Jersey

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It's no secret that one issue Lancaster will have some trouble solving over the next nine months lies in midfield, with centre resting among the priority areas where England must improve.

However, Brad Barritt is doing his best to show why he should be considered as a long-term bastion at No. 13—and a gutsy showing against Michael Cheika's lineup should be enough to provide further opportunities.

There's nothing dazzling about the way in which Barritt goes about his business. Defence is a priority for the Saracens man, and his blood substitution on Saturday summarised just what he's willing to give physically to ensure his own borders aren't penetrated.

To demonstrate this, Barritt made 18 tackles on Saturday—the most of any player on the pitch—failing to miss a single attempt.

That's not to say he's offensively incapable, though. A try against South Africa showed that he can make those positive movements in attack, even if they are slightly rarer than Lancaster might prefer.

Barritt is a poisoned chalice in that he's disciplined and knows precisely what he's in the team to do, going about the job with efficiency. The downside is that the opposition may be just as aware of his limitations.

Loser: Billy Twelvetrees Is Still Showing Hit-and-Miss Signs

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The long-term possibilities aren't as encouraging for inside centre Billy Twelvetrees, who was handed a new chance in Lancaster's starting XV on Saturday, but he is showing some of the same old problems.

Having such a creative figure in the No. 12 shirt is extremely advantageous at times, but all too often the Gloucester captain has looked out of his depth (even flimsy at times) when playing internationally.

Alternatives also have their issues, and Lancaster may not be all too open about the idea of starting Owen Farrell in the centre—but at least the dropped fly-half brings some spark and fire to the role.

Twelvetrees missed three tackles on Saturday, which—not accounting for scrum-half Ben Youngs—was more than the rest of his back-line missed combined.

It's a weakness Lancaster can't afford to have. And for all the innovation he has under his bonnet, Twelvetrees cannot be expected to haul England through to a World Cup triumph.

Winner: Chris Robshaw Comes out on Top in Captain's Duel

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Michael Hooper's arrival at Twickenham would always be one that threatened to give England grief, and his captain counterpart Chris Robshaw was the first line of defence against the Wallabies leader.

Pillaging for possession at the breakdown, securing turnover ball and providing a stopping block in defence were all priorities that both men took into the fixture, and Lancaster was pleased to see his man perform.

Robshaw helped stem the flow of Australia's seemingly never-ending attack at times, recording 14 tackles in total despite failing to make even one metre in attack.

However, the English back-row presence will care little for individual glory as long as the results come. It's what he's always been about as his country's leader—and in muffling Hooper's roar on Saturday, he did so to good effect this weekend.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.