An inability to maintain their highest standard gives them plenty to improve upon as they seek to overtake New Zealand
Three minutes from full time, the crowd roused itself for one last blast of Swing Low. Not in exhortation, now, but celebration. England were leading by 16 points, and Australia, a man down after Dane Haylett-Petty had been sent to the sin-bin, were scrambling to escape from underneath their own posts. The only question left was how many England were going to win by. Soon enough, the final whistle went and the international year was over. England finish it undefeated, with 13 wins out of 13, through the Six Nations, the summer tour and the autumn series. It is the first time in the professional era that they have made it through a year without losing a match. They won 16 matches in 2003, but lost to France in the run-up to the World Cup.
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