England have named an unchanged starting XV to face Australia on Saturday from the team that suffered an agonising 24-22 defeat to New Zealand last weekend.
A second try by Mark Tele’a and a superb touchline conversion from Damian McKenzie edged the All Blacks ahead on 76 minutes, before replacement fly-half George Ford missed a late penalty and drop-goal effort to win it for England.
Marcus Smith again starts at fly-half against Australia, with Ben Spencer at scrum-half, while the only slight tweak to the team that started against New Zealand sees the centre partnership switched, with Henry Slade slotting in at inside centre and Ollie Lawrence at 13.
Jamie George will captain England, supported by vice-captains Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge and George Ford.
In the front row, George is at hooker, with Genge at loosehead prop and Will Stuart at tighthead. Itoje pairs with George Martin in the second row, while the back row features Chandler Cunningham-South on the blindside flank, Tom Curry at openside, and Earl at No 8.
The back three features Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the right wing, Tommy Freeman on the left, and George Furbank at full-back, to complete the starting lineup.
There are two changes to the replacements’ bench from last Saturday’s loss to the All Blacks, with Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ollie Sleightholme set to make their first appearances of the Autumn Nations Series. They join Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall and George Ford among the replacements.
It’s set to be Cowan-Dickie’s first England game for two years, and his first under head coach Scott Borthwick, following a string of injuries. He last played in November 2022 under Eddie Jones
“Facing Australia is always a massive challenge, and we’ll work diligently this week to ensure we’re physically and tactically prepared to take on the Wallabies,” Borthwick said ahead of the clash at Twickenham.
“The passion and energy from the crowd at Allianz Stadium last weekend was absolutely brilliant, from the opening whistle to the final moments, and we can’t wait to be back at home this Saturday.”
England’s team to face Australia:
15) George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
14) Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
13) Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
12) Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
11) Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
10) Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
9) Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
1) Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
2) Jamie George (Saracens) – captain
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) Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), 17) Fin Baxter (Harlequins), 18) Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), 19) Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), 20) Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), 21) Harry Randall (Bristol Bears), 22) George Ford (Sale Sharks), 23) Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)
What’s next?
England’s Autum Nations Series continues against Australia at Allianz Stadium on November 9 (kick-off 3.10pm), while New Zealand face Ireland in Dublin on November 8 (kick-off 8.10pm).
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Source : Sky Sports
