First Test - Australia v England - Player Rankings

The first Test in Brisbane saw England defeat Australia by 28-39 and so how have the England players fared in the game? Let us take a look at the player ratings.

MIKE BROWN: Not one of his better performances for England. The full-back is a favourite of Eddie Jones, but he can not afford too many games like this. 5/10

ANTHONY WATSON: The game largely passed him by, but this was through no fault of his own as he saw very little ball. 6

JONATHAN JOSEPH: Showed predatory instincts to score the try that helped give England the belief they could seal a famous victory. 6

LUTHER BURRELL: Failed to finish the first half after being tactically replaced and felt the full force of Australia's early onslaught. 5

MARLAND YARDE: Was asked to bring his power to bear out wide, but did not make the impact he would have liked. 6

OWEN FARRELL: Outstanding display from the Saracens playmaker who showed his growing composure. Hardly put a foot wrong. 8

BEN YOUNGS: The better of the two scrum-halves on show and tackled like a back row in a highly physical match. 7

MAKO VUNIPOLA: A bulldozing shift from the loosehead who tore into Australia at the breakdown. 7

DYLAN HARTLEY: Solid if unspectacular game from the captain whose true value to the team was in his leadership when England had slipped behind. 7

DAN COLE: It finished honours even at the scrum and Cole played his part in ensuring there was no repeat of last autumn's debacle. 7

MARO ITOJE: Saved a certain try with a crucial poach on his own whitewash and is already playing like a Test veteran. 8

GEORGE KRUIS: It was another successful day for England's line-out with Kruis running the set-piece.7

CHRIS ROBSHAW: Constant presence at the breakdown and fearless in his approach to doing the hard, unseen work. 8

JAMES HASKELL: Colossal match from the openside who set the tone with his bone-jarring early hit on David Pocock. 9

BILLY VUNIPOLA: Outshone by his back row colleagues but still a menace to Australia. Even acted as a line-out option. 7

Replacements:

MATT MULLAN: Came on late in the game. 6

JOE LAUNCHBURY: Operated at full throttle. 6

COURTNEY LAWES: Ran the line-out. 6

DANNY CARE: Almost scored late on. 7

GEORGE FORD: His arrival changed the face of the game. 8

JACK NOWELL: Scored a late try. 7