6th December

So what a year it has been for Eddie Jones and his England team.

England see off Aussies to make it 14 in a row

England's 37-21 win on Saturday against the Wallabies took them up to second in the world rankings, saw them notch their 14th straight win and end 2016 unbeaten. It's a far cry from when they crashed out of the World Cup at the hands of the same opposition just before Eddie Jones came in a year ago. English rugby looked at a low ebb when dumped out of the World Cup on home soil in the groups, 

2016 has been an absolutely fantastic year for English rugby, securing their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2003, and their best winning run since that phenomenal year. It's hard to deny that this might be the best English team since that magical year thirteen years ago, which is why it's so frustrating that it came directly after the World Cup, meaning England will have to keep this hot-streak going, or even improve, in the next three years. 

And there's every sign that they can do that. Resilience and mental strength have been every bit as crucial to Eddie Jones' turnaround of this team than talent on the field. Truthfully, England were not in straits as dire as it appeared twelve months ago, and were unlucky to lose to Wales at the World Cup, although a full throttle Australia side were far too good for them. 

And in the first twenty minutes or so on Saturday, it looked as if Australia would be too good for them again. Scoring one try and having two more chalked off, Australia threatened to run riot early on, opening up a 10-0 lead that could easily have been a 20-0 one. However, the Aussies wilted and, like South Africa a month ago, made critical errors that cost them, letting England back into the game with a try from Jonathan Joseph, and some good kicking from Owen Farrell. 

With the game tight at the break, only 16-13 in Australia's favour, the visitor's dressing room would have been kicking themselves, as they should have killed England off in the first half. England made no such mistakes in the second, as they ran over the Aussies in brilliant style, Yarde, Joseph and the phenomenal Ben Youngs all crashing over as England won the second half 24-5. We saw everything that has made England so excellent this winter on display. A fantastic dummy from Ben Youngs saw him break in behind to cross the line, brilliant kicking, both in defence and in attack, and the clinical way in which they snapped on any Australian mistakes. The fourth try came from a truly wretched pass from Pocock, but Joseph was alert to the sniff of danger and made Australia pay for their error.

And all this without multiple key players from the Grand Slam triumph: Itoje, Kruis and Watson chief amongst those on the sidelines, and the incredible Billy Vunipola was also missing against the Aussies. This is a squad that Jones has cultivated brilliantly, meaning that any injuries can be seamlessly worked past or looked over. For every key player that cannot play, there are two more ready and waiting, desperate to prove themselves. 

England seem to have it all right now. Mental strength, physical strength, depth and genuine class talent. Everything is working in their favour. And with 2016 quite literally the perfect year for them in terms of results, but still with lots of obvious areas for improvement, there's no telling how high they could go. Eddie Jones will know the weaknesses of this side, and will be keen to nail them down. England go into the 2017 Six Nations eyeing another Grand Slam, a Slam that would take them to 19 straight wins. Whilst that may not be possible, or even likely, they'll fancy themselves to turn over France, Scotland and Italy at Twickenham, and could well go into their final game against Ireland in Dublin with another Slam on the line. 

There's still a long way to go before this England side can fulfill all of their potential, and as mentioned above the next World Cup is still three years away but right now, this is a team that looks like a juggernaut, and, as the rankings would indicate, there's only one team in the world right now that looks like they would beat them. 

What a match that could be. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Boro beat Hull 1-0 as expected. Hull are pitiful. 
• Alonso and Hamilton redux? Ohhhh boy.
• Bjorn Ryder Cup Captain 2018. Solid choice. 
• Federer delays return to action. Disappointing.