Rugby Union Today: Team news and Ireland-Wales preview

Colin Newboult

Another busy day in the rugby union game as we look ahead to all the action in the Autumn Nations Cup and Tri Nations.

What’s on the site

After a superb season for Wasps, flanker Jack Willis has been handed a chance at the highest level after being named in England’s team to face Georgia in the Autumn Nations Cup at Twickenham.

That competition kicks off on Friday as Ireland host Wales at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and we have previewed the contest between two sides still searching for form under new head coaches.

Finally, the feature ‘Five talking points ahead of Ireland v Wales’ delves into the some of the key questions for the opening Autumn Nations Cup encounter.

What’s in the news

New Zealand are effectively at full strength for their Tri Nations game against Argentina on Saturday. The likes of Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga and Joe Moody have returned to bolster the side for the match in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Los Pumas have selected Juan Imhoff on the wing, with the Racing 92 player set to win his first cap since the 2015 World Cup. There is a place in the XV for Stade Francais-based Nicolas Sanchez, while Bordeaux-Begles’ Santiago Cordero is on the bench.

Continuing with the Argentinian theme and former prop Juan Figallo has been forced to call time on his playing career due to a head injury sustained at the 2019 World Cup. The tighthead earned 33 international caps and played at the highest level in Europe, turning out for Montpellier and then Saracens.

What’s on social media

This sums up a lot of people’s thoughts on the England team announcement earlier today.

What’s on TV

The Autumn Nations Cup begins this weekend and most of the matches will be shown on Amazon Prime. Channel 4 also have a few games, with Ireland v Wales the one being broadcast on the free-to-air station on Friday.

Meanwhile, despite the completion of the Bledisloe Cup, there is still plenty of southern hemisphere action as New Zealand take on Argentina on Sky Sports.

Finally, it is the sixth round of the PRO14 on Premier Sports, with Leinster’s clash against Edinburgh the standout fixture.

 

Features