Twickenham Truths: England are special, Itoje is a future captain and Cheika's been bleating again

England are building something really special under Eddie Jones. Horribly damp conditions ensured it was not an afternoon of barnstorming running rugby at Twickenham, but a 24-point margin of victory against an opponent as capable as this rejuvenated Australian side is not to be sniffed at. Australia rarely looked like crossing England’s line, and when they did the defensive effort – encapsulated but the ever reliable Chris Robshaw – proved remarkably resolute. At no point did England’s heads drop, even during a strong spell of Australian pressure in the second half, and they got their rewards when the ‘finishers’ came off the bench to deliver a late flurry. The impact of the substitutes underlines the attitude that Jones is cultivating in this England camp and the team’s prospects looks bright for 2018.

There were just 17 minutes gone when Sam Underhill was forced from the field with a head injury to be replaced by Maro Itoje. Greeted onto the pitch with a roar from the stands, the Sarries star's impact on a game still in its fledgling stages was as swift as it was impressive. Itoje has quickly developed into one of the main leadership figures in this England side, and his bellowing lineout presence and controlled authority hinted at a future captaincy role. But for now Itoje largely leads by example, with his ferocity in the tackle and lineout excellence maintaining England's control in a tight first half. There is still room for improvement in his game - a decision not to pass to the open Jonny May on the overlap early in the second half butchered a try-scoring opportunity - but Itoje is getting better and better with every game for his country.

Jonny May has been in sensational form for Leicester Tigers this season, but his recall by England was still met with howls of derision from his detractors. Was their incredulity justified? No, clearly not, but May’s performance will have given his critics reason to entrench themselves deeper in their view that he is not international calibre. May’s electric pace and scent for the try-line (as illustrated by his late score and assist) mean he will stay in Eddie Jones’ plans, but when compared to his fellow backs Anthony Watson and Elliot Daly, May struggled to impose himself on the match, particularly in the first half. Knock-ons, a mistimed jump, an overly risky offload, not releasing in the tackle, failing to release his opponent; his errors didn’t ultimately cost England on this occasion, but all of those would have been noted by Jones in a hit-and-miss display.

The most predictable element of the whole afternoon at Twickenham was Cheika’s colourful complaints about the referee. All sets of fans tend to feel wronged by the officials in any sport, and Australia didn’t seem to get the rub of the green overall with the big decisions, but all of them were at the very least explainable, not close to justifying the Australian coach’s outburst of “****ing cheats” that was picked up by the television microphones. Rather than bleating about referees, maybe Cheika would be better placed looking at his own players’ lack of discipline and focus. A spell with two players deservedly in the sin bin at the same time was always likely to see his team tire late in the game, while too many of Australia’s perceived injustices could have been prevented by themselves sharpening up their game. When you lose 30-6 it can’t ALL be the referees fault.