5 things we learned from the Autumn Nations Series this weekend

England and Ireland landed blows for northern hemisphere rugby as Australia and New Zealand were humbled in Autumn Nations Series matches of mixed quality, but Scotland fell to South Africa at Murrayfield.

Here, the PA news agency examines five things we learned from Saturday’s games.

A star is born

Man of steel

Work in progress

Eddie Jones’ mission to realign England in time for the 2023 World Cup was in danger of hitting the buffers during the second-half when their early attacking verve subsided in the face of a determined Wallabies team intent on dragging the game into the trenches. Owen Farrell’s team ultimately ground out a conclusive win but their enterprise was frustrated by opposition who barely fired a shot with the ball in hand. The England reboot based around rising stars such as Steward, Smith, Alex Dombrandt and Jamie Blamire deserves patience, especially when an enhanced attacking game is the aim, but they must learn how to impose their tactics in the face of dogged resistance.

Take a bow Ireland

Ireland went toe-to-toe with the game’s most efficient attacking machine and came out on top as New Zealand fell to a spellbinding performance. Even when dismantling Japan last weekend questions remained over whether Andy Farrell’s vision of playing free-flowing rugby was viable against elite opposition. The answer was delivered emphatically on a raucous afternoon in Dublin with a statement 29-20 win that All Blacks head coach Ian Foster described as the best display his team had faced.

Growing pains

Gregor Townsend prefaced the autumn by demanding more belief from Scotland, evoking the away victories against England and France in the Six Nations as evidence of a side on an upwards trajectory. But it is not conviction that is missing but consistency as results continue to rollercoaster. For every victory in Paris, there is a defeat to Wales. For every triumph against Australia, a loss to South Africa. Stitching together quality wins is Townsend’s real challenge and without it they have no hope of making an impression on the Six Nations.