England name unchanged side for Australia following dramatic late defeat to All Blacks in Autumn Nations Series
England face Australia at Twickenham this Saturday with unchanged starting XV from the dramatic late defeat to New Zealand in their Autumn Nations Series opener; a late Mark Tele'a try, plus George Ford penalty and drop-goal misses in final moments clinched victory for All Blacks
Thursday 7 November 2024 15:48, UK
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.
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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 Ford among the replacements.
It is set to be Cowan-Dickie's first England game for two years and his first under head coach Steve 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 team to face Australia: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George - captain, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Ollie Sleightholme.
Suaalii to make debut vs England after switching codes
Less than a month after switching rugby codes, Joseph Suaalii will make his debut for Australia after being picked to start the match against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
The 21-year-old Suaalii has been thrown in at outside centre, despite the fact that when he last played in the 15-man code in 2019, it was as a winger for Australia Schoolboys in a victory over New Zealand.
Since then, he established himself as a star in rugby league, playing for Samoa as they reached the World Cup final in 2022, and in the State of Origin.
Rugby Australia has thrown big money at Suaalii, tying him to a three-year contract to the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Before that, the British and Irish Lions tour Australia and coach Joe Schmidt said he wanted to get the next big thing in Australian rugby into the firing line as quickly as possible.
"Everything is a risk," Schmidt said of the immediate inclusion of Suaalii. "But I would challenge that by saying everything is an opportunity.
"It's unlikely it will go perfectly but it will be a benchmark he can build from."
Suaalii, who gets his chance with other centres Hunter Paisami and Josh Flook unavailable, is the only change to the team from the Wallabies' last Test, a loss to the All Blacks in Wellington in the Rugby Championship. Australia were defeated five times in six outings in that competition and finished last.
Fourteen of the players in the matchday 23 will play at Twickenham for the first time.
Australia team to face England: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon; 1 Harry Wilson, 2 Fraser McReight, 3 Rob Valetini, 4 Jeremy Williams, 5 Nick Frost, 6 Taniela Tupou, 7 Matt Faessler, 8 Angus Bell.
Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen.
What's next?
England's Autumn 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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