SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England hold getting tiny however essential moments improper and it is costing them… listed below are the 4 trustworthy questions they need to ask themselves after Twickenham collapse in opposition to Australia

It is no coincidence England are losing tight Test matches because, right now, they are unable to nail international rugby’s big moments when it matters most.

Steve Borthwick’s men will not become a top team until they learn how to do so. Saturday’s shock defeat by Australia was a classic example of where they’re going wrong.

The first thing to say is that it was a thrilling game. Australia were fantastic and their new star Joseph Sua’ali’i was incredible.

The Wallaby back division was so dangerous and ultimately they did enough to win the game. This Australia victory has breathed new life into next summer’s British & Irish Lions tour because it showed how good the Wallabies can be. But, ultimately, the match was there for the taking for England. They had it won.

When Maro Itoje scored from close range with just over a minute to go and Marcus Smith converted, England led 37-35. All they had to do at that point was nail the restart.

If they had won the ball cleanly, they would have won the game. And this is what I mean about England and key moments. Itoje could not claim the Australian kick-off.

I would love to know what was said in the huddle after Itoje’s try. England need to have a very clear and honest debrief of what went on in those moments.

What was each and every player doing after Itoje scored? What were they all thinking? What were the messages? Was every player fully concentrated at 100 per cent? My honest view is I think many of the players thought the game was done.

This is not a criticism of Itoje for failing to collect the Australian kick-off, firstly because he had another good game and secondly because this is a collective issue not an individual one. As a team, England are getting these tiny yet crucial moments wrong and it’s costing them.

I was pleased to hear Borthwick as head coach front up honestly. I might be mistaken, but I think it’s the first time he has spoken in such a way in his time in charge of the team.

‘Everyone is gutted. It’s a game we should have won,’ he said.

‘Multiple times we put ourselves in the position to win the game and we didn’t.

‘We gave them far too many opportunities. If you turn the ball over that many times, you’re not giving your defence much of a chance. We had to see that game out.’ Borthwick’s assessment is the first step to England turning the corner. There is no point sweeping things under the carpet with statements emphasising the positive. To do so would be a total dereliction of duty.

England losing key moments, like the restart with the clock virtually in the red on Saturday, is happening far too often and that’s why they’re losing matches.

Borthwick is now going to come under a lot of pressure. That is the lot of an international head coach. You are defined by your results and England are losing too often right now.

So, it is inevitable that there will be heat on Borthwick. There must be a response.

What worries me about England and Test rugby’s big moments is their concentration. I’m not sure it is 100 per cent there.

The crucial restart was one just example. But on TNT Sports after the game, captain Jamie George admitted some of his team-mates switched off when England were in control and leading 15-3 in the first half. That is unbelievable. It simply cannot be tolerated at the highest level.

Borthwick and his players need to stamp out that element of complacency and quickly.

There is a very real chance that with back-to-back world champions South Africa up next, England will suffer a third straight autumn defeat. That comes on the back of two summer losses in New Zealand.

Such a run is unacceptable for any England team, even if the sides they have faced in that time have been tough opponents.

But there is no way the RFU will hit the panic button. I simply cannot see Bill Sweeney and Conor O’Shea coming to the conclusion that Borthwick is no longer the man to lead the national team forward. But England’s supporters will rightly be very frustrated at developments.

England still have a chance next week. I will be backing them if they can get their key moments and their selection right.

While I do look at every England game through an English lens, I think it’s important that we recognise the strength of the Australian display. It was proof of the extraordinary work of Joe Schmidt as coach.

Many had written off next summer’s Lions series. The belief was that it simply wouldn’t be a contest because Australian rugby had fallen away so badly. But their win over England showed that might not be the case.

Their backline was fantastic, summed up by Sua’ali’i. Their last try, which won the game, was brilliant execution of skillful rugby under the utmost pressure.

For the Wallabies to score right at the death through Max Jorgensen was just superb. It was a try that England, as they are currently, simply would not have been capable of.

In my column ahead of this game, I talked about Sua’ali’i. It is a fantastic story that he was player of the match at Twickenham in his first game of professional rugby union.

When you put that sentence down on paper, you have to read it twice or three times over because it is just so extraordinary.

Sua’ali’i offloaded brilliantly out of the tackle and did excellently to set up Australia’s first try for Tom Wright.

But one of the things which stood out from him in my view was his work on the restarts.

Sua’ali’i showed on Saturday that he is an incredibly athletic player. He was brilliant for the visiting team in the air all day and put England under pressure there.

And that is what won Australia the game. It was Sua’ali’i, as he had done all afternoon, who put the heat on England for the crucial restart. His presence meant Itoje could not gather cleanly and the rest is history.

Jorgensen’s try was a great example of what Australia can do. Throughout the match they played with pace and panache. It was brilliant to watch and any rugby fan should have respect and praise for the way the performance they delivered yesterday.

What is also certain is that Australia will get even better on the back of this win. They ripped England to bits at times, leaving Borthwick and his players to face some serious questions and recriminations. It is going to be a long week.