England vs. Australia: Score and Report from Autumn Rugby International

A Ben Morgan brace helped steer England to a 26-17 win over Australia on Saturday as the Twickenham hosts ended their autumn international series with back-to-back victories.

The Wallabies presented a close challenge for Stuart Lancaster's men, but a heavy change of the English pack late on helped the hosts seal their win, confirmed by the official England Rugby Twitter account:

It started off as a frosty encounter in London, with George Ford and Bernard Foley exchanging kicks to provide the first additions on the scoreboard.

The hosts' fly-half saw the better opportunities under a mountain of Australian pressure, and even though Michael Cheika's side had a weighty advantage in possession, England's defence stood firm for the most part.

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Ford impressed in his first international start against Samoa last weekend, but this performance was always going to be a more difficult examination of his abilities, but he rose to the occasion once more.

The Bath youngster would play an instrumental role in the game's opening try, per the Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher, as captain Chris Robshaw did his part in winning possession for Morgan's first:

The absence of injured Billy Vunipola might have created weakness among England's pack, but Morgan has been champing at the Saracens star's heels for his place in Lancaster's forward unit.

Rugby Onslaught even goes as far to suggest Morgan may be the superior option at No. 8, and the Gloucester man is building momentum at the right time ahead of a Rugby World Cup year:

Still, Australia would apply pressure with ball in hand, but England were disciplined in managing to keep the penalty count down, meaning Foley's chance at the posts were limited.

The home outfit went in at the interval with a 13-3 lead. However, some stern words from Cheika appeared to have the desired affect on the visitors, with Foley gliding over on just minutes into the second period, per Sky Sports Rugby:

The try was a reminder to England that one can't afford to ease up against the southern hemisphere's lurking giants, and before Lancaster's men knew what hit them, Australia were back within sight.

Morgan evidently wasn't content with that, though and took matters into his own hands after playing a part in a dominant English scrum, barging over for his second:

With a little more than 20 minutes remaining, England's priorities turned more to guarding their lead, and it didn't come without the Wallabies knocking on their door with some aggression.

However, Ford continued to do his part in chalking up the lead edging into the closing stages:

It would be sufficient as the changes were rung by both coaches, England establishing enough daylight to see out the victory with some assertiveness.

Tactically, this was as confident an outing as England have produced this autumn and a hugely encouraging way in which the side should finish their calendar year.

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Lancaster's squad still has its problem areas, though, and despite the fine graft of Brad Barritt, Billy Twelvetrees doesn't look likely to remain as the long-term answer at No. 12.

Australia will take what they can from Cheika's first run in the coaching hot seat before addressing their issues ahead of 2015, a year which may not hold a great deal of prospects for a team still out of sorts.