The Autumn Nations Series continues to roll on at a meteoric pace, with England set for their second match of the campaign this Saturday against Australia. Coming off the back of a heartbreaking 24-22 defeat to the All Blacks at the Allianz Stadium, England will be looking to right the wrongs of round one, and record a memorable win over Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.
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It came down to the dying moments against New Zealand, as England squandered an eight point lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Making his long awaited return from injury, George Ford was bestowed to lead the back-line to close out the match, yet the All Blacks kicked into their revered top gear and forged a dramatic late comeback through in-form wing Mark Tele’a, and the sharpshooting of Damian McKenzie.
England trailed by two points into the closing moments, and Ford stepped up to take on the match winning penalty. The Sale man struck the post from his kick at goal, yet the fly half would get a second crack at glory in the final play of the match.
However, England rushed their preparations for the match-deciding drop goal, and Ford sent the effort wide of the mark, which left the Allianz Stadium in a hush of frustration, despite the jubilant pockets of All Blacks supporters who erupted in celebration.
Steve Borthwick is expected to not make too many changes to his England team, with consistency being key in the eyes of the head coach.
There has been some reshuffling of personnel already this week, following the news that Joe Marler has retired from Test match rugby, and departed the squad’s training camp. In his place sees young Sale Sharks prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour get the call-up, with Charlie Ewels also back in camp as he replaces his Bath teammate Ted Hill.
Predicted England squad to play Australia – Autumn Nations Series Round 2
15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
11. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
9. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
2. Jamie George (Saracens)
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
6. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)
7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens)
REPLACEMENTS
16. Theo Dan (Saracens)
17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
19. Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
20. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
21. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
22. George Ford (Sale Sharks)
23. Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)
Can you name the 20 most capped mens rugby players for England?
Test your knowledge and see if you can name the top 20 male players who hold the record for the most international caps for England. Get ready to dive into England rugby history—let’s see if you have what it takes to remember the legends who’ve played the most matches!
Caps are correct on 31st October 2024.
