By Matt Majendie BBC Sport at Twickenham

England 19-21 Australia Pictures from Twickenham

Fly-half Charlie Hodgson admitted his goal-kicking cost England victory against Australia on Saturday.

Hodgson missed two straightforward penalties in the first half as the Wallabies eked out a 21-19 victory.

He told BBC Sport: "It's harsh when you lose a Test match by such a narrow margin when you know you've missed six relatively easy points yourself.

"Had they gone over, we would have won. You always love to get that first kick over but sadly the pressure got to me."

Hodgson, who missed five touchline kicks against Canada two weeks ago, landed eight from eight in the 32-16 win over South Africa before Saturday's setback.

"I didn't strike the ball right against the Wallabies - there was nothing much more to it," he said. "And it's very disappointing.

We failed to keep hold of the ball for long periods Charlie Hodgson

"But Test rugby is still a learning curve for me. And when you lose and miss vital kicks like that I think you learn more about yourself."

England struggled to contain Australia in the first half, and fell 15-0 behind before a resurgent second-half display turned the deficit into a 19-15 lead.

But the hosts capitulated in the final 10 minutes when Matt Giteau slotted over two penalties.

Hodgson blamed "turnover ball in crucial parts of the field" for the defeat.

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"That really cost us," he added. "But the way we attacked was pleasing and I thought the rest of our game went well.

"It was a pleasing second half and the forwards were immense and that caused Australia a few problems. Unfortunately, it was just not good enough in the end.

"During the game, we failed to keep hold of the ball for long periods of time and that played into their hands.