The Wallabies will play England this weekend in the first of their four Autumn International fixtures. There will be a host of other international rugby union matches to come as Southern Hemisphere teams tour the Northern Hemisphere.
Wallabies v England
The Wallabies will play England at Twickenham in London on Sunday at 2:10am (AEDT). Both sides are coming into this fixture off the back of three losses. Last week, England played the All Blacks and lost 24-22. English coach Steve Borthwick has named the same XV players who played the All Blacks to start against the Wallabies.
Despite finishing last in the Rugby Championship, Australia has shown signs of improvement under former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt. The Wallabies side to take on England was announced yesterday with former rugby league star Joseph Sua’ali’i being given his first opportunity to start since officially switching codes at the beginning of the month. The 21-year-old will start at outside centre in what will be one of the most highly anticipated Wallabies debuts in recent memory, if not ever. Sua’ali’i will be joined by Len Ikitau in the centres.
There were no other surprise selections from Schmidt, who is fielding previously tested combinations from the Rugby Championship. Number eight Harry Wilson will captain the side.
What they said
About Sua’ali’i, Schmidt said: “Everything’s a risk, but I would challenge that with ‘everything’s an opportunity’, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for a young man who’s really excited about getting the chance.”
Other international fixtures
There will be a total of six Autumn Internationals played this weekend. Ireland will host New Zealand at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday morning (AEDT). On Sunday morning, Italy will take on Argentina, and France will play Japan. Finally, on Monday morning Fiji will face off against Wales and South Africa will play Scotland.
How to watch
All matches will be streamed on Stan Sport.
