"Once again Australia and England showed they are two nations deeply divided by a shared passion for getting stuck in to each other on the rugby field. Their collisions - this one scrappy but still fierce - are becoming an autumnal ritual of fists and mellow brutalness, but, given the result, we should on this occasion salute resilience in the face of shuddering intimidation." Jon Henderson, The Observer

"Like a preacher from the pulpit, Martin Johnson will urge his players to keep the faith, to believe in the system and in their ability to make it happen. Too many players ditched the game plan in the heat of battle; too many fell by the wayside. Johnson wants believers, not flaky adherents. Johnson's frustrated tone made clear that he felt that if his players had obeyed instructions, they would have given themselves a great chance of landing a notable victory. Johnson dismissed the notion, though, that England had already run into their first spot of adversity, or that his side lacked leadership. He was certainly in no mood to lump the blame on captain, Steve Borthwick." Mick Cleary, Sunday Telegraph

"Reality has arrived in English rugby, served up in huge dollops by an Australian team who exposed Martin Johnson's side for what they are - a talented, young outfit with bags of potential, but with a pack failing to deliver yet again, and a new manager who must have been sorely tempted to rip off his suit, put on his boots and run out into the fray." Ian Stafford, Mail on Sunday

"England's young Danny boys received a rugged reality check as a stubborn and streetwise Australia side racked up their biggest win at Twickenham for a quarter of a century. There were glimpses of brilliance from the 21-year-old English pair of fly half Danny Cipriani and scrum-half Danny Care in a fascinating international Test showdown yesterday. But there were also far too many impetuous and injudicious errors from the dazzling young bucks who promise to provide England with a glorious future." Jim Holden, Sunday Express

"Martin Johnson, there will never be a player like you and you are a little old to come back and play. But for goodness' sake, at least give us an England team in your image, with your passion and sense of purpose and the clarity with which you played. Above all, give us England forwards who are at least good enough not to be comprehensively turned over by a pack of forwards so lowly in the world ratings as that of Australia. " Stephen Jones, Sunday Times

"It was a scrappy Welsh performance, devoid of any cohesiveness, pattern or quality. Maybe some of that was down to the fact that there were so many changes to the side from the team who played so well in defeat against South Africa. Whatever, it was just one of those nights when there were simply too many basic errors. At times in the first half, Wales were almost clueless. There was far too much individualism and too little in the way of team togetherness." Gareth Edwards, Western Mail

"This may be a lame excuse for a lame performance, but they do say that colours can affect your mood and I am perfectly prepared to speculate that the shocking fluorescent yellow kit that Wales donned to play a full international match in Cardiff on Friday night could well have been a contributory factor. You could blame the need to make money from the replica jersey market, were it not for the fact that no self-respecting fan or his son or daughter would want to be seen dead in that particular jersey. But it is time that Wales and all other nations start to remain true to two colours only, both directly from their national flags or emblems." Stephen Jones, Sunday Times

"It was not that long ago that Wales were far closer to Canada in the world rankings than they were to New Zealand and there were long periods when it was difficult to tell which side was rated seventh in the world and which was 15th. It was not Welsh flair that prevailed but forward power." Paul Rees, The Guardian

"After a week during which coach Warren Gatland had left his players in no doubt about what he expects, Wales stumbled to a lame victory over Canada at the Millennium Stadium." Graham Clutton, Daily Telegraph

"Ireland may have got the rough end a key decision on half-time - the debates will rage on that one - but they weren't remotely in the same class as the All Blacks in Croke Park on Saturday night. After a series of decent performances against New Zealand in recent years this was a considerable backward step. They couldn't get on terms with the All Blacks in any department of the game." Brendan Gallagher, Sunday Telegraph

"Fancying your chances against second-string All Blacks is always a dangerous game. So Scotland learned to their cost at Murrayfield last night, as the optimism they had taken into the match was extinguished by good old-fashioned New Zealand ruthlessness. The Scots had promised a brave new world of winning rugby, but to most of the crowd their display looked depressingly redolent of their drab old world of losing rugby. Frank Hadden's side never really had the nudge in any significant area of the game. New Zealand were faster across the prairies and sharper in contact by far." Alasdair Reid, Sunday Herald

"Men against boys! And to think some pundits in the northern hemisphere reckoned that this All Blacks side wasn't much good...Ireland seemed their toughest opponents on paper but the greater speed, penetration, commitment and precision of the tourists put them on another level to the home team. They tore into the rucks, won the ball all over the field and moved it cleverly and intelligently. Centre Ma'a Nonu was a constant danger with some powerful surges and he thoroughly deserved his second half try." Peter Bills, Independent on Sunday

"It was a case of job done, move on for the tourists after they toiled through their latest test against a valiant Irish side rather than leaving a massive imprint of potent All Black skill and power. There was the look of a team satisfied with the result if not all their execution, of a side who were a shade out of sync but had too much firepower throughout their backline for the Irish to withstand." Wynne Gray, New Zealand Herald

"These games don't change much. There is brave talk beforehand, some gutsy play from Ireland, moments when the luck seems to go against us, moments when we kid ourselves that the All Blacks are there for the taking, unrealistic hopes of a historic breakthrough. And in the end the result is always the same, they win, we lose, this time by 22-3. At the moment Ireland are good. But the All Blacks are great and they always have been." Eamonn Sweeney, Irish Independent

"It might be said that Wales should, and Scotland could, have beaten the current world champions, South Africa. But neither did, and when you take into consideration the internal tensions of the Springbok - if we are still allowed to call them that - camp, you have to appreciate that for a side apparently tearing themselves apart, they aren't half bad at sticking together at the sharp end of matches they are on the point of losing." Eddie Butler, The Observer

"Should we praise Scotland for running the world champions so close, or haul them across the coals for failing to finish the job? Both points of view were being rehearsed in the bars of Edinburgh last night, and both were equally valid. Scotland were heroic at Murrayfield yesterday - just not quite heroic enough.Their nerves and decision-making may have failed them at the finish; their courage never did. From the off, Scotland seemed to be on the cusp of one of their great performances and came achingly close to posting one of their greatest results." Alisdair Reid, Sunday Herald

"Both teams were shaking their heads at the refereeing of David Pearson, the English official, who officiated by giving bursts of penalties to each team. "We don't know what you exactly want," Blair said midway through the second half after another disputed call at the breakdown. His confusion followed the anxiety of John Smit, the Springbok captain, who was left shaking his head following the first 40 minutes when Scotland gained eight penalties or free kicks to three." Rob Wildman, Sunday Telegraph

"Scotland blew a golden chance to crush one of rugby's superpowers yesterday when a serious lack of discipline and composure let the world champions off the hook. Frank Hadden's team had South Africa in a stranglehold for the last 20 minutes but could not deliver the coup de grace to beat the Springboks for only the fifth time in 102 years. The Scotland coach admitted his dressing-room was 'gutted' as he counted the cost of an eighth defeat in 10 matches that would have placed question marks against his future under normal circumstances." Bill Day, Mail on Sunday

"Let's just add to the misery, for it seems impossible for Scotland to feel any worse this morning. This should have been a victory for the ages; for two decades of indignity against southern hemisphere opponents, for an afternoon of bravery, if not absolute precision here, and for the World Cup 2011 seedings that will be decided in a fortnight's time. Instead, in a depressingly familiar denouement, Scotland succumbed to one of their many historic nemeses. They will now most likely have to see off a pair of them in New Zealand four years from now just to make it through their pool." Mark Palmer, Sunday Times

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