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England and Australia Will participate in the currently held Ella-Mobs Trophy Australian When their 116 year old rivalry started again on Saturday.
Here the PA news agency looks at five talking points ahead of the autumn opening ceremony at the Allianz Stadium.
selection details
steve borthwick Has strengthened his reputation as a courageous selector by making many bold selections.
Tommy Freeman’s transition from wing to outside center begins with intensity, rookie flanker Guy Pepper puts out two British and Irish Lions And on the bench are six of Andy Farrell’s summer tourists.
Add the presence of George Ford at fly-half ahead of Finn Smith and Marcus Smith – the other two Lions – and Borthwick has once again shown his willingness to make the big calls.
preparation mismatch
“We have four seasons, they have four months. It’s true,” Borthwick said earlier this week when he reflected on the lack of preparation time for the four-match autumn series which also includes matches against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.
The Wallabies have played 11 matches so far this year, compared to England’s eight, the most recent of which was a 19-15 win over Japan in Tokyo last Saturday.
However, James O’Connor, Len Ikitou, Tom Hooper and Will Skelton are unavailable as the game is outside the international window and Australia head coach Joe Schmidt says he is watching England’s schedule with envy.
“This year we have 15 Test matches in 20 weeks, in eight countries, in 10 different time zones. To be honest, I would be happy to convert it into four training sessions,” he said.
Borthwick’s Bomb Squad
England have filled their bench with four Test Lions and two other members of the squad that beat the Wallabies 2-1 in the series during the summer.
Borthwick’s preference is to deploy a six-strong forward squad en masse, creating South Africa-style attacking potential in the second half.
Tom Curry, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ellis Ganz are among the veterans who will be involved in the action at some point and hopefully their experience will help finish the game off if things get rough.
marked man
After waking up the rugby world and taking notice, Henry Pollock Now he will have to prove that his brilliant debut was the beginning of the season, not the end.
Former England wing Ugo Moni has described the dynamic 20-year-old as a “marked individual” following his exploits so far in 2025, which have included his Test debut, heroics on the European stage and selection for the Lions.
Pollock, named on the bench against Australia, will be looking to make an explosive impact in the second half, knowing the competition for places in the back row is fierce.
Australia Resilience
On paper, problems at fly-half and missing some key personnel should see the Australian team fall short at Twickenham, even if they are in the midst of a revival under Schmidt.
But last November’s clash at the same venue, as well as their recent return to the Rugby Championship, demonstrate the Wallabies’ ability to save lost causes.
It was Max Jorgensen’s overtime try that secured a dramatic 42-37 win against England 12 months ago and the talented wing is once again in the number 14 jersey.