Sometimes, as any headline act will tell you, the old favourites are required to get a drifting crowd back on side. Short of self- and public confidence, England have tried out plenty of new material in the last 12 months, but with the pressure on and in desperate need of a win, it was time to shut up and play the hits.
After yet more talk of evolution in the lead-up to the second Test, this was a performance redolent of England’s 2019 best. From the moment that Ellis Genge trampled over Michael Hooper in the first 40 seconds, an emphatic opening riff, the tone was set for an imperious opening half-hour in Brisbane, the best 30 minutes that England have produced since their World Cup highs.
