ENGLAND finally won at the third time of asking in this autumn Test series against southern hemisphere opposition on Saturday night, but it was against a hapless Samoa.

This was a scrappy match with both sides conceding silly penalties, spilling balls and making mistake after mistake in greasy, damp conditions.

The home side looked for more creativity and guile in attack and finally picked a No 10 who is a fly half by trade.

George Ford took his opportunity and was instrumental in England’s best moves and kicked well out of hand.

Ford will have gained confidence for the match against Australia and looks to be the player to help make the men in white tick.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster agreed in an honest post-match assessment: “I was pleased with the performance of the young players I put into the side, particularly Ford and Anthony Watson.

“The Ford and Owen Farrell axis worked well, especially when they combined to put Jonny May through for his first try.”

Lancaster explained that he did not envisage making many changes against Australia next week, although he was worried about the knocks some players, such as Courtney Lawes, took in a bruising encounter.

Farrell, despite being moved to inside centre, continued his run of poor form and was finally put out of his misery when he was substituted in the second half. 

Full back Mike Brown had a shocking first 40 minutes but was reinvigorated after his half-time cuppa.

The No 15 was a man reborn in the second half as he started to discover some form and confidence and was gifted a try by Watson.

What have England learnt from their three games? They are not the finished article and continue to make silly mistakes, compounded by poor handling.

But it is a young side still learning their trade and they have extraordinary strength in depth. But the World Cup may be arriving too early for Lancaster’s men.