England 35 Australia 18: Johnson's England finally learn how to express their true talent

The astonishing aspect of it, apart from Chris Ashton's superlative second try, is that the manager's emboldened young men, doubted by so many for so long, could also have done so by a far larger margin.

Yet somehow, at the same time, they still may be wondering how they managed to rack up a record-points total against the Wallabies given the immense pressure they were under for large periods of an intoxicating Cook Cup encounter.

What a strange and amazing game it all was.

Australia, cocksure after victories over New Zealand and Wales in consecutive weekends, were supposed to be the side who could live off minimal possession, the negatives of their meek scrum being outweighed by a much-vaunted stellar back division capable of ripping opponents to shreds, whatever the quantity of ball.

However, confident England, with the vibrant scrum-half Ben Youngs sniping away all afternoon, beat them at their own game producing some exquisite counter-attacking rugby few genuinely believed they possessed.

Fly-half Toby Flood, who delivered a faultless kicking performance with 25 points, including seven penalties, continually set in motion centres Shontayne Hape, the ex-Bradford Bull who had his finest performance since switching codes, and Yorkshireman Mike Tindall who quite simply outshone the rejoiced Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Ambitious England found space with a host of searing breaks, importantly producing that much-needed execution which had crucially eluded them versus the All Blacks a week earlier and for much of Johnson's two years in charge.

The shackles were off and Ashton's second try – one of the finest ever seen at Twickenham – was a case in point.

Leading 19-6 in the 47th minute, England, not for the first time, found themselves desperately defending their line from another Australian raid. Tom Palmer, the erstwhile Leeds lock who was everywhere on Saturday afternoon, nailed a darting Will Genia with a crucial tackle and Tindall came over to force a brilliant turnover just as the Wallabies seemed certain to score. Job done.

However, rather than boot it clear from behind his own line, as even the most liberal of Red Rose sides would ordinarily do, Youngs threw an outrageous dummy before putting Courtney Lawes into space down the blindside.

The young second-row then showed great skill to utilise a sudden overlap and find Ashton who sped off in a coruscating 75-metre run, cutting inside on a diagonal burst to the opposition try-line and leaving a stunned Drew Mitchell in his wake to leave the majority of a 80,002 crowd on its feet in sheer jubilation.

Much will be made of Ashton's score. He had also finished a fine move in the 25th minute involving a splendid inside pass from Tindall and two quality off-loads from unsung Mark Cueto and the towering Tom Croft.

Add this to the former Wigan rugby league man's try which helped beat Australia in Sydney five months ago and it is easy to see why some believe he will not only be the best union convert since Jason Robinson but also the finest England winger since that same legendary figure.

However, beforehand, when asked what had made his Australian side so successful of late, coach Robbie Deans replied "toughness and teamwork", paying no mention to the individual brilliance of Quade Cooper and co.

That was true of this memorable England performance; Ashton's wonder try had been borne out of a team ethic starting with Palmer's much-needed tackle and brought to life by the dare and dash of Youngs.

It was obvious confidence was flowing through England with captain Lewis Moody setting a fine lead and Croft, in particular, proving a revelation up front.

Australia had their chances but James O'Connor – who has been working with former Leeds fly-half Braam van Straten on his kicking – fluffed three of five first-half penalty attempts.

The winger was also denied when Flood halted him with a thunderous tackle after Cooper had come to life with one astute inside pass but Kurtley Beale did score two second-half tries, including one excellent chip-and-chase effort which O'Connor converted, to keep the hosts working.

The scrum, where England were expected to exert dominance, became a non-entity. Experienced hooker Stephen Moore returned to bolster Australia's chance of parity but, remarkably, nearly an hour had passed before a single set-piece was completed due to a raft of baffling refereeing decisions. England did gain a numerical advantage when Giteau was yellow-carded in the 37th minute for a blatant professional foul when O'Connor was caught isolated just short of his own line.

Flood typically tagged on the points but not before attempting an audacious crossfield kick for Cueto to touch down.

Referee Craig Joubert called it back but it was another sign of the adventure and intent of a England side – defeating a Tri-Nations opponent at HQ for the first time since 2006 – that had finally learned how to express itself.

England: Foden; Ashton, Tindall (Armitage 63), Hape, Cueto; Flood (Hodgson 78), Youngs (Care 54); Sheridan (Wilson 66), Hartley (Thompson 69), Cole, Lawes, Palmer (Shaw 70), Croft, Moody, Easter (Fourie 78).

Australia: Beale; O'Connor, Ashley-Cooper, Giteau (Barnes 60), Mitchell; Cooper, Genia (Burgess 47) ; Robinson, Moore, Alexander, Chisholm, Sharpe, Elsom, Pocock, McCalman (Brown 58). Replacements: Slippa, Mumm, Turner.

Referee: C Joubert (South Africa).

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Ben Youngs

The tyro Leicester scrum-half set the high-pace tempo from the off, either through his darting runs or razor-sharp and swift delivery, he got his team-mates attacking space out wide. Full of confidence.

Villain: Matt Giteau

Although his yellow-card in the 37th minute saved an almost certain try, by the time he returned to the field his side were already 26-6 down.

Key moment

47th minute: Ruthlessly turning defence into attack, Chris Ashton's glorious second try put England in total control.

Ref Watch

Craig Joubert (South Africa):

Frustrated both sets of forwards at the scrum.

Verdict

England proved to the entire international game they can be a force at next year's World Cup.

Next game

Samoa, Twickenham; Saturday November 20; kick-off 2.30.

Quote of the day

I can't explain it to be honest. I think I'll have to sit down with a beer tonight and reflect on it. I just got the ball in space and ran like always.....

– Chris Ashton tries to talk through his wonder-try against Australia.