England’s Autumn Nations Series: Objectives and Opponents

England is set to commence their demanding Autumn Nations Series this Saturday at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, with a match against New Zealand. This encounter marks the third consecutive game between the two teams. The team aims to secure a victory on home soil, particularly after having lost their lead in both of their summer Test matches against New Zealand. England, currently ranked fifth globally, trailing Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and France, previously experienced a close loss to France during their last Six Nations fixture. Head coach Steve Borthwick, whose squad has achieved four wins in eight games this year, expects his players to demonstrate lessons learned from these closely contested games. Borthwick stated, “There was a period not so long ago where we weren’t competing against the top four sides in the world,” adding, “Now we’re competing against them, but I want to make sure we get the job finished at the end.” He further commented, “Make no mistake, I praise the players for their performances and for all their efforts because they’ve done a lot of good things, but there have also been times where we have lost games as opposed to the opposition winning them.” Following their World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa last year, the squad has seen a revitalization with new young players. However, the team is also undergoing a phase of change and adaptation due to the recent departures of defence coach Felix Jones, who had only been with the team for seven months, and the highly regarded strength and conditioning coach Aled Walters. Joe El-Abd, the head coach for Oyonnax and a former flatmate of Borthwick, has taken over from Jones and intends to further develop the ‘blitz’ defence strategy established by the Irishman. Concurrently, Richard Wigglesworth has been elevated to the position of Borthwick’s second-in-command. The team faces a significant alteration in the scrum-half position, as regular starter Alex Mitchell will be absent for the entire campaign due to a neck injury. Ben Spencer from Bath is scheduled to make his inaugural start for England this Saturday, with Harry Randall of Bristol Bear, who is currently in good form, named among the substitutes. Nevertheless, the team has received a boost with the return of seasoned centre Henry Slade, who played in Exeter’s Premiership match on Sunday. Subsequent to their match against New Zealand, England’s schedule includes games against Australia on 9 November, world champions South Africa on 16 November, and Eddie Jones’ Japan on 24 November. Below is a concise overview of England’s upcoming adversaries. Scott Robertson’s initial period as New Zealand’s head coach commenced favorably, marked by consecutive victories over England in Dunedin and Auckland. Despite this, a successful autumn campaign is crucial for New Zealand, as they failed to secure the Rugby Championship title for the first time since 2019, following an unexpected loss to Argentina and two consecutive defeats against the world champion Springboks. In Dunedin, Marcus Smith’s three missed kicks were a significant factor in England’s narrow failure to achieve their first victory in New Zealand since 2003. A week subsequent, despite holding a lead at half-time and for a considerable portion of the second half, the visiting team did not score in the final quarter, allowing New Zealand to rally and maintain their impressive winning streak at Eden Park. The question remains whether England will find success on their third attempt in what is anticipated to be another closely contested match against the World Cup runners-up. A win would represent England’s ninth victory in 45 Tests against the All Blacks, and their first at Twickenham since their notable 38-12 win in December 2012. During their previous encounter at Twickenham, England managed to score three tries in the last 10 minutes, securing a 25-25 draw in what was Eddie Jones’ second-to-last match as coach. Joe Schmidt, previously the head coach for Ireland, has not yet achieved a significant victory since taking charge of Australia. The Wallabies concluded the Rugby Championship at the bottom of the standings, with only a single win against Argentina, highlighting their need for a substantial victory to boost confidence ahead of the British and Irish Lions’ tour next year. Australia, currently ranked 10th globally, might perceive an opportunity for an upset when they begin their tour against England, a week after Borthwick’s team plays the All Blacks. Schmidt has included Joseph Suaalii, a high-profile rugby league convert, in his squad, despite the 21-year-old back not having played any professional XVs rugby yet. Additionally, former Leicester Tigers wing Harry Potter is a potential debutant. Samu Kerevi, a Japan-based centre, is another player to observe, alongside the formidable La Rochelle lock Will Skelton, who is making his return to the team for the first time since leading them at the World Cup last autumn. Schmidt’s team is scheduled to compete against England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. England’s most recent home match against South Africa at Twickenham occurred two years ago, during Jones’ final game as coach, resulting in a 27-13 loss and audible dissatisfaction from the crowd. Subsequently, England encountered the Springboks in the World Cup semi-final, where a late penalty kick by Handre Pollard tragically extinguished their aspirations of winning the world championship. The upcoming autumn fixture presents England with a chance to retaliate for that one-point defeat and demonstrate their capability against Rassie Erasmus’ seasoned team. After their World Cup triumph, the Springboks maintained their successful run by securing their first Rugby Championship title since 2019, concluding with a dominant 48-7 victory over Argentina in their last match. The world’s second-ranked team, who will begin their autumn fixtures against Scotland before playing England and then Wales, also defeated New Zealand and Australia twice en route to claiming the Rugby Championship title. England’s concluding match of the autumn series is expected to provide an opportunity for less established players, especially after their decisive 52-17 victory against Japan’s Brave Blossoms in June highlighted the disparity in skill levels. Jones’ team, ranked 14th globally, displayed progress in the Pacific Nations Cup, reaching the final after securing wins against Canada, the United States, and Samoa, though they were subsequently soundly beaten by Fiji. Nevertheless, New Zealand’s dominant 64-19 victory over his team in Yokohama last weekend further underscored the significant difference in quality when Japan competes against leading international teams. The 64-year-old Jones maintained a respectful and appreciative demeanor towards his former assistant coach Borthwick in the period leading up to their previous match. Jones likely anticipates that his positive remarks will contribute to a favorable reception from England supporters. Live radio commentary for all four matches will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live or Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, with live text commentary also accessible via the BBC Sport website and app.