England to benefit from Australia’s absentees
England v Australia, in whatever sport, is always a memorable occasion and these two teams will face off in another big clash at Twickenham.
It is a rivalry the Red Rose have dominated since Eddie Jones has taken charge. The head coach managed to press all the right buttons when it came to his duel with old Randwick team-mate and the ever-combustible Michael Cheika.
As the Six Nations outfit racked up the wins against the Wallabies, Cheika simply doubled down with his game plan, getting angrier and angrier in the process.
Australia consistently played the same way and, against a team as well balanced as the Red Rose, it never worked. By the end of Cheika’s tenure, the Wallabies had succumbed to seven successive defeats and new boss Dave Rennie will be desperate to change that.
The positive for the visitors is that they appear a much smarter team under his stewardship and are certainly finding more of a balance between kicking and running, but on the downside they are shorn of several key players.
Already without Quade Cooper, Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete, they then lost Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou to injury, which leaves them desperately short at prop.
England themselves have their front-row issues following positive Covid tests for Ellis Genge and Joe Marler, leaving them a bit bare at loosehead, but the spine of their team remains strong.
They are a bit callow in some areas, especially on the bench, but that is by choice with Jones looking to refresh the squad ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
Marcus Smith has been selected ahead of George Ford for example, while at prop 21-year-old Bevan Rodd has been preferred as a replacement for the Covid-stricken Marler and Genge, instead of the in-form and experienced international Mako Vunipola.
Even accounting for that youthfulness, it is still a strong side which has plenty of wise heads in the XV and, as a result, they should have too much for this Aussie team.
Last time they met
England proved far too strong for the Wallabies as they emerged 40-16 winners in the 2019 World Cup quarter-final. The Red Rose got off to a storming start thanks to two Jonny May tries, but Australia were well in the game when Koroibete touched down. However, Jones’ men responded immediately through Kyle Sinckler and controlled the game from thereon in, sealing the victory when Anthony Watson intercepted Kurtley Beale’s pass to scamper across the whitewash.
What they said
England head coach Jones is expecting a physical, intense and close match when they take on the Wallabies at Twickenham.
“We think its going to be a pretty high-volume game, it usually is against Australia, with a lot of work in the forwards,” Jones said.
“Sam Simmonds and Alex Dombrandt give us flexibility and variety in terms of their skills and we think they will add to the mix in the last 20 minutes.
“England v Australia games at Twickenham always seem to fall in the last 20 minutes and I don’t think this game will be any different.”
Jones also believes that the Wallabies will be revved up for the clash, saying that the Australians have an “inferiority complex” when it comes to England.
“I know as an Australian that it’s probably hard for the English to understand what an important game this is for Australia,” he added.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the Olympics, Test cricket, rugby league….this is the game that defines their season. This is the game they want win. We have bit of an inferiority complex against the English, the Australians.”
Wallabies scrum-half Nic White effectively echoed those comments and believes that there will be an extra edge to this game.
“I don’t think any of the edge has gone, not at all. Especially after recent times, certainly from our end,” White said.
“England is a side we are desperate to beat. They’ll always be big brother. Whatever sport, cricket, you name it, if it’s England versus Australia the gloves are on.”
Meanwhile, head coach Rennie is expecting England to kick a lot and has picked a back three to counteract that.
“We expect England to put a lot of ball in the air and both Tom [Wright] and Kels (Andrew Kellaway) are very strong aerially and so is Kurtley (Beale),” said Rennie. “We felt those three in the backfield were perfect for what we expect.”
Players to watch
Who saw that England selection coming? Certainly not us. There is, however, logic to it. With Henry Slade playing so well last week and Jones obviously wanting to try out the Marcus Smith-Owen Farrell partnership then it left the head coach with a decision to make. It does make for surprising viewing, though, to see Manu Tuilagi placed on the wing, but Jones likes power in his backline and he’s the only one which really provides it.
With Joe Cokanasiga struggling with injury and the midfield pretty lightweight, Jones will argue that they need that gain line presence somewhere behind the scrum and Tuilagi is evidently that man. No doubt, he will pop up off first phase ball and come inside throughout the game on Saturday, but the obvious concern will be defensively and under the high ball. Australia prefer to run than kick but they will certainly want to test the Sale Shark this weekend.
Marcus Smith will be one to benefit from Tuilagi’s presence, however, as a go-to should they be struggling with slow ball. There is plenty of pressure on the Harlequins playmaker, given the fanfare which currently surrounds him, and this is his first real challenge at this level. Smith has taken everything in his stride so far, but the Aussies will no doubt be gunning for him, both with and without the ball. There is no doubting Smith’s talent, or his temperament to be perfectly honest, but Test rugby can do funny things to players. We are thoroughly looking forward to seeing how he plays.
That also applies to Wallabies returnee Kurtley Beale, who starts his first game for the country since the heavy 40-16 defeat to England in the 2019 World Cup. Injuries to Tom Banks and Reece Hodge rather dictated his recall and there are question marks as to whether he can still hack it at this level, considering his inconsistent displays at Racing 92, but the talent has never been in question.
His selection does at least allow Andrew Kellaway to move back to his best position on the wing. While the Melbourne Rebel didn’t particularly do anything wrong at full-back, he is an arch-poacher and reads the game incredibly well out wide. Kellaway currently has eight tries from his 11 caps and will sniff out any opportunity that the Wallabies can create.
The only issue for the visitors is getting quality ball, which is why lock duo Izack Rodda and Rory Arnold are so important. With the makeshift and underpowered front-row (more on that later) a concern, the lineout may be Australia’s best place from which to attack. Those two were excellent against Scotland, often disrupting opposition ball, and they have a big job on their hands against England.
Main head-to-head
It is almost refreshing to see an England v Australia build up which hasn’t focused on the front-row battle. It hasn’t really been relevant since the 2015 World Cup when the Wallabies utterly demolished the hosts up front. Since then, the confrontation has been relatively even but, ironically, this game is one where it could well be pivotal in the contest. Had Alaalatoa and Tupou been available then the Wallabies would have had the upper hand and put the home side under pressure, especially following Marler’s and Genge’s positive Covid tests.
That surely won’t be the case now as Rennie has been forced to shift James Slipper from loosehead to the tight – his first game there at international level since 2012 – and bring in youngster Angus Bell. The former U20 star offers plenty with ball in hand and has the raw tools to be a top-class prop but he will find it tough against Kyle Sinckler.
However, Australia’s chances of winning this match have certainly been boosted by the withdrawal of Genge. Young loosehead Bevan Rodd is a late call-up and it is difficult to know how his battle with Slipper will play out. The 21-year-old has been a solid scrummager at Premiership level over the past year and he is technically sound, but he’s not a dominant presence in the set-piece at the moment. Rodd will offer plenty in other areas – he is outstanding at the breakdown and has good ball skills in the loose – but the Red Rose will need him to step up in the scrum.
Prediction
England may have lost Marler and Genge but it will still be difficult for the Wallabies without their first choice tightheads and the key midfield duo, Cooper and Kerevi. The Red Rose also showed some promising signs against Tonga, albeit this will no doubt be a much bigger test. However, there is plenty of experience in their ranks and that Australia XV just looks a tad weak in comparison to the hosts. England by 10.
Previous results
2019: England won 40-16 in Oita
2018: England won 37-18 in London
2017: England won 30-6 in London
2016: England won 37-21 in London
2016: England won 44-40 in Sydney
2016: England won 23-7 in Melbourne
2016: England won 39-28 in Brisbane
2015: Australia won 33-13 in London
The teams
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Manu Tuilagi, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Bevan Rodd
Replacements: 16 Jamie Blamire, 17 Trevor Davison, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Sam Simmonds, 22 Raffi Quirke, 23 Max Malins
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tom Wright, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Rob Leota, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 James Slipper, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Oliver Hoskins, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Noah Lolesio, 23 Izaia Perese
Date: Saturday, November 13
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 17:30 GMT
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: AJ Jacobs (South Africa), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
England squad reaction
Planet Rugby features writer James While reacts to England's team to face Australia.