The Autumn Nations Series/ Spring Tour continues in the northern hemisphere this weekend and the Wallabies have entered the chat.
Joe Schmidt pulled a huge selection surprise by including 21-year-old rookie Joseph Suaalii in his starting team to face England at Twickenham.
The Australia XV will play Bristol Bears on Saturday morning AEDT but as of time of writing there are no leads on a potential broadcast or stream – which is sure to leave many Aussie fans frustrated.
Every match of the Autumn Nations Series will be shown live on Stan Sport.
Ireland vs New Zealand, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Saturday Nov 9, 7.10am
Ireland (1-15): Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Crowley, James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, Ciaran Frawley, Jamie Osborne.
New Zealand (1-15): Tamaiti Williams, Asafo Aumua, Tyrel Lomax, Scott Barrett (c), Tupou Vaa’i, Wallace Sititi, Sam Cane, Ardie Savea, Cortez Ratima, Damian McKenzie, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Mark Tele’a, Will Jordan.
Replacements: George Bell, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Pasilio Tosi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samipeni Finau, Cam Roigard, Anton Lienert-Brown, Stephen Perofeta.
Talking points: A special rivalry has been brewing in recent years between these two powerhouses and matters are sure to have some added spice thanks to the recent verbal sparring between Rieko Ioane and retired Irish legend Johnny Sexton over the All Blacks tight World Cup victory.
New Zealand were fortunate to escape with a win over England last weekend and will face a tougher opponent at the Aviva Stadium.
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said he was braced for an “intense” battle – where the world No.1 ranking is on the line.
New Zealand could become Test rugby’s leading nation for the first time in five years by beating Andy Farrell’s men in Friday’s blockbuster clash at a sold-out Aviva Stadium. They will hold the ranking through the weekend if Scotland can beat South Africa.
“Ireland have been right up there, not just the last few years, I think for the last 10 years they’ve been leading the way in a lot of areas,” said Barrett.
(Photo by David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
“Us as All Blacks, we like to be in the picture in terms of the world No.1. That’s a crown they’ve got at the moment.
“What more could you want than playing Ireland at home? It’s going to be intense.”
After dominating the fixture for more than a century, New Zealand have lost five of the last nine meetings between the countries, including a 2-1 series defeat on home soil in 2022.
The All Blacks left out Ethan de Groot and have Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor missing after fialing HIAs against England.
Ireland are nearly at full strength with hooker Ronan Kelleher passed fit to face, however prop Tadhg Furlong will miss the clash through injury.
There are several returning backline players from Ireland’s last outing – a narrow victory over South Africa in Durban in July – including a trio of New Zealand-born players.
Jamison Gibson-Park is back at scrum-half to partner number 10 Jack Crowley, while Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose make up the centre pairing.
Fullback Hugo Keenan, and wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe are the back three.
Prediction: It will be tight but the Irish, with home ground advantage and power across the XV, will edge it.
England vs Australia, Twickenham, London, Sunday Nov 10, 2.10am
England (1-15): England: Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Ben Spencer, Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Furbank.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Ollie Sleightholme.
Australia (1-15): Angus Bell, Matt Faessler, Taniela Tupou, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams, Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (c), Jake Gordon, Noah Lolesio, Dylan Pietsch, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Wright.
Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen.
Talking points: Joe Schmidt’s decision to put Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii straight into the team has prompted plenty of debate on both sides of this game. Beyond the 21-year-old rookie, Schmidt has stuck with the same XV that lost the most recent clash – against New Zealand.
Schmidt opted against bringing in the vast experience of Will Skelton and Samu Kerevi – players who might be very useful in front of an expectant 80,000 crowd.
The Poms are also keeping it stable – their starting XV is the same as the one which narrowly lost to the All Blacks last weekend, although there is a swap of positions in midfield for Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence.
England have an emerging 21-year-old superstar of their own in Immanuel Feyi-Waboso who scored an electric try against the All Blacks and will face the Wallabies for the first time.
Prediction: England should step up another gear after the All Blacks defeat and should overcome Australia in the second half to win by two clear tries.
Italy vs Argentina, Stadio Friuli, Udine, Sunday Nov 10, 4.40am
Italy (1-15):
Mirco Spagnolo, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Marco Riccioni, Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone, Martin Page-relo, Paolo Garbisi, Monty Ioane, Tommaso Menoncello, Juan Ignacio Brex, Louis Lynagh, Ange Capuozzo.
Replacements: Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fischetti, Simone Ferrari, Dino Lamb, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Garbisi, Tommaso Allan, Marco Zanon.
Argentina (1-15): Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Santiago Grondona, Joaquin Oviedo, Gonzalo Bertranou, Tomas Albornoz, Bautista Delguy, Matias Orlando, Lucio Cinti, Rodrigo Isgro, Juan Cruz Mallia.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Matias Alemmano, Bautista Pedemonte, Gonzalo Garcia, Matias Moroni, Santiago Cordero.
Talking points: Louis Lynagh has kept his place as Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has opted for a mostly tried and trusted team for the Test against Argentina in Udine.
The 23-year-old wing Lynagh, son of former Wallabies’ World Cup winner Michael Lynagh, was eligible to play for one of three countries – England, Australia or Italy – until he plumped for the Azzurri and made his debut in this year’s Six Nations, starting in Italy’s wins over Scotland and Wales.
Louis Lynagh of Italy gestures during the Guinness Six Nations 2024 match between Italy and Scotland at Stadio Olimpico on March 09, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images)
He also then played two further matches, including Italy’s last game, a victory over Japan.
Now Quesada has stuck with Lynagh in his squad, while giving Mirco Spagnolo his first start, with the prop having made eight appearances from the bench.
He has gone for experience, with fullback Ange Capuozzo, flanker Sebastian Negri and fly-half Paolo Garbisi all in the side.
The coach has stuck with the centre pairing of Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello who impressed in the Six Nations, two of nine Benetton players in the starting side, which is captained by their club teammate, flanker Michele Lamaro.
“It would have been very dangerous to change too much in four training sessions,” Quesada said.
“We have added two or three new things because we want to implement them in view of the next games and the Six Nations, but we did not want to take the risk of making too many changes because we want to give continuity to the technical project carried out so far.”
Tommaso Allan is among the replacements after the fly-half returned to the squad following a break from international rugby earlier this year, and Dino Lamb is also on the bench, in the lock’s first call-up by Quesada after returning from injury.
Injuries have forced Argentina into a major reshuffle among the backs but the forwards stay almost intact after coach Felipe Contepomi named his side.
In the backline, only flyhalf Tomas Albornoz and wing Rodrigo Isgro keep their places from the starting lineup that lost 48-7 to South Africa in September’s Rugby Championship decider in Nelspruit.
Centre Santiago Chocobares is out for the rest of the year after picking up an injury against the Springboks while Santiago Carreras misses out because of a calf strain.
At fullback, Juan Cruz Mallia replaces Carreras while Matias Orlando is in for Chocobares at centre, with Bautista Delguy coming onto the wing in place of Mateo Carreras.
At scrumhalf Gonzalo Garcia drops to the bench to be replaced by Gonzalo Bertranou.
With Pablo Matera suspended and Marcos Kremer still injured, the loose forward trio stays the same but in the second row Franco Molina is in for Tomas Lavanini, who has a sprained ankle.
The 40-year-old prop Francisco Gomez Kodela, who gained a recall to the touring party for this month tests against Italy, Ireland and France, is among the replacements.
Prediction: Italy have the ability to spring a major surprise against the World Cup semifinalists, and the Pumas injuries issues might be enough to swing this narrowly the way of the hosts.
France vs Japan, Stade de France, Paris, Sunday Nov 10, 7.10am
France (15-1): Leo Barre; Damian Penaud, Emilien Gailleton, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Thomas Ramos, Antoine Dupont (capt); Gregory Alldritt, Alexandre Roumat, Francois Cros; Emmanuel Meafou, Thibaud Flament; Tevita Tatafu, Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi, Georges-Henri Colombe, Mickael Guillard, Paul Boudehent, Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Gael Fickou.
Japan (15-1): Malo Tuitama; Jone Naikabula, Dylan Riley, Siosaia Fifita, Tomoki Osada; Harumichi Tatekawa (capt), Naoto Saito; Faula Makisi, Kazuki Himeno, Kanji Shimokawa; Warner Dearns, Epineri Uluiviti; Shuhei Takeuchi, Mamoru Harada, Takato Okabe
Replacements: Kenta Masuoka, Yukio Morikawa, Keijiro Tamefusa, Amato Fakatava, Tevita Tatafu, Shinobu Fujiwara, Yusuke Kajimura, Takuro Matsunaga.
Talking points: Halfback Antoine Dupont returns to captain France when they begin their autumn rugby Test campaign against Japan at Stade de France.
It’s the same stadium where he inspired France to a gold medal in sevens at the Paris Olympics, scoring two tries against Fiji in the final. But also the same where he experienced heartbreak as France lost by one point to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals one year ago.
Dupont took a sabbatical to learn sevens and ended up stealing the show from Fiji’s dazzlers.
This time he is leading Fabien Galthié’s XV, having marked his return at club level for Toulouse with a superb quickfire hat-trick coming off the bench.
Galthié’s side will be out to show backline versatility.
Léo Barré wins his fifth Test cap at fullback to allow Thomas Ramos to play flyhalf alongside his club teammate Dupont. Winger Yoram Moefana slots into midfield alongside 21-year-old Émilien Gailleton, who wins his fourth Test cap.
France carry try-scoring threat throughout the starting lineup, with hooker Peato Mauvaka boasting nine international tries and averaging better than one every four games.
Flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert, veteran centre Gaël Fickou and scrumhalf Maxime Lucu are the backs in a 5-3 split on the bench.
Eddie Jones made six changes to the Japan side.
(Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
Among the backs scrum-half Naoto Saito, who plays for French Top 14 champions Toulouse, centre Siosaia Fifita and winger Tomoki Osada come in for Shinobu Fujiwara, Nicholas McCurran and Yoshitaka Yazaki from October’s 64-19 drubbing by New Zealand.
In the forwards, flanker Kanji Shimokawa, lock Epineri Uluiviti and hooker Mamoru Harada replace Amato Fakatava, Sanaila Waqa and Atsushi Sakate for Saturday’s game at the Stade de France.
No 8 Tevita Tatafu, who also plays club rugby in France but for Bordeaux-Begles, is named on the bench as experienced fly-half Harumichi Tatekawa continutes to captain the side.
Prediction: France have named a strong team and Eddie Jones is set for another miserable night in the country where his Wallabies World Cup campaign came a cropper.
Wales vs Fiji, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Monday Nov 11, 12.40am
Wales (15-1): Cameron Winnett, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Blair Murray, Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams, Aaron Wainwright, Tommy Reffell, Taine Plumtree, Adam Beard, Will Rowlands, Archie Griffin, Dewi Lake (captain), Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Keiron Assiratti, Christ Tshiunza, James Botham, Jac Morgan, Ellis Bevan, Sam Costelow.
Fiji (15-1): Vuate Karawalevu, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Waisea Nayacalevu (captain), Josua Tuisova, Semi Radradra, Caleb Muntz, Frank Lomani, Elia Canakaivata, Kitione Salawa, Meli Derenalagi, Temo Mayanavanua, Isoa Nasilasila, Samuela Tawake, Tevita Ikanivere, Eroni Mawi.
Replacements: Sam Matavesi, Haereiti Hetet, Jone Koroiduadua, Mesake Vocevoce, Albert Tuisue, Simi Kuruvoli, Isaiah Ravula, Sireli Maqala.
Talking points:
Gareth Anscombe has been selected at fly-half and there is a first cap for New Zealand-born wing Blair Murray in the Wales team to play Fiji in a Cardiff Test between Australia’s World Cup conquerors.
Warren Gatland’s Welsh team are seeking to avoid a 10th successive Test defeat after a horror run, with Australia showing more than a passing interest in the outcome of Sunday’s match as they play Wales next, after their England opener, on the ‘grand slam’ tour.
The 24-year-old Murray qualifies for Wales through his mother and has only recently signed for the Scarlets, but gets an immediate chance to impress.
“I think he’s been playing well for the Scarlets,” coach Warren Gatland told reporters on Friday. “He hasn’t had a lot of games. He came through the New Zealand pathway. We were pretty excited when he committed to us. He gives us a left-footed option which we haven’t had in a while. He gets touches and defends well.”
Gatland has also selected several less experienced players, including centre Max Llewellyn, who has two previous appearances, his midfield partner Ben Thomas (four caps) and prop Archie Griffin (three).
“We have excellent competition in the squad, so it was a tough selection and there were some close calls but I think there’s a really nice balance for Sunday. We have some experienced players back alongside some exciting youngsters,” Gatland said.
Anscombe, making a first Wales appearance since last year’s Rugby World Cup when his 23 points with the boot helped crush Australia, has been preferred to Sam Costelow, who is among the replacements, and will have the vastly experienced Tomos Williams alongside him at halfback.
Fiji, who also beat Australia 22-15 in France last year, have made four changes and one positional switch to their backline as they welcome back several experienced players.
Vuate Karawalevu moves from the wing to fullback, with Jiuta Wainiqolo taking his place in the number 14 jersey.
Waisea Nayacalevu and Josua Tuisova take over as the centre-pairing, with Semi Radradra also into the team on the opposite wing.
The changes will boost a side that was thumped 57-17 by Scotland last weekend in a game that fell outside of the international window.
Fiji’s only previous victory over Wales in 14 Tests came at the 2007 World Cup in France, though they did also manage a draw in 2010.
Prediction: Neither team exactly inspires confidence but Wales should edge this at home to end their shocking run of losses.
Scotland vs South Africa, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Monday Nov 11, 3.10am
Scotland (15-1): Tom Jordan, Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu (captain), Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Grant Gilchrist, Zander Fagerson, Ewan Ashman, Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: Dylan Richardson, Rory Sutherland, Elliot Millar Mills, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Ritchie, Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowell.
South Africa (15-1): Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Jaden Hendrikse; Kwagga Smith, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth (captain), Thomas du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams.
Talking points:
South Africa No. 8 Kwagga Smith will play his 50th Test in a vastly changed Springboks’ team to face Sione Tuipulotu’s Scotland in their European tour opener at Murrayfield.
Double world champ Smith reaches the landmark after six years, and despite 11 changes to the starting XV, 21 of the Boks’ matchday 23 have won a World Cup or two, demonstrating their remarkable strength in depth.
Lock Franco Mostert returns from a broken leg in July and will partner Eben Etzebeth, who captains the side and extends his Springboks caps record to 129. Siya Kolisi is on the replacements’ bench.
The Springboks have been overhauled with England at Twickenham in mind next weekend, after winning the Rugby Championship decider against Argentina 48-7 in Mbombela in September.
Coach Rassie Erasmus has opted for a 7-1 bench, with scrum-half Grant Williams the only reserve back.
“This is a seasoned and quality team … so they know what it takes to perform at this level,” Erasmus said on Friday.
“Many of these combinations have also played together this season either during the (July home) series and Rugby Championship, or both, which will be valuable against a quality team such as Scotland.’
New Zealand-born back Tom Jordan will make his first start for Scotland among four changes to the starting XV, as Melbourne’s Tuipulotu faces his ultimate challenge as skipper.
The versatile Jordan made his debut as a replacement in the 57-17 win against Fiji last Saturday after qualifying on residency grounds, and is selected at fullback in place of injured Glasgow colleague Kyle Rowe.
Toulouse’s Blair Kinghorn, Bath flyhalf Finn Russell Toulon and Toulon scrumhalf Ben White — all of whom were unavailable last weekend as the match was outside the international window — are the three others added to Gregor Townsend’s side for the visit of the world champions.
Kinghorn, Scotland’s regular fullback, will start on the wing in place of Darcy Graham, who scored four tries against Fiji but dropped out with a head injury. White and Russell take over from last weekend’s halves Ali Price and standout Adam Hastings, who both miss out entirely.
Prediction: The Springboks have won eight consecutive Tests against Scotland since 2012, including an 18-3 victory at the World Cup last year. It all points to a ninth, but not by many.
