England Face Australia With Eyes on World Cup 2027 After Coaching Overhaul
Steve Borthwick’s squad opens Autumn Nations Series against the Wallabies as England aim to turn promise into elite-level consistency
England enter their opening fixture of the 2025 Autumn Nations Series against Australia intent on signalling genuine progress under head coach Steve Borthwick.
The encounter at Twickenham on Saturday will be a key litmus test as England strive to elevate from near-contender to fully fledged Rugby World Cup 2027 challenger.
Borthwick has restructured his coaching team ahead of the series, bringing in Lee Blackett as attack coach and shifting Richard Wigglesworth to defence.
The changes reflect England’s desire to refresh their identity and sharpen both attack and defence as they encounter southern-hemisphere opposition in four successive Tests.
The England captain, Maro Itoje, described the ambition plainly: “When you represent England you want to win trophies – Six Nations and World Cups.
That’s definitely the ambition of this team.” England will host Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina during November – demanding fixtures that provide an opportunity to build momentum and credibility.
Squad selection underscores the blend of experience and emerging talent.
George Ford retains the fly-half role, while Fraser Dingwall has been selected in midfield for his synergy with centre Tommy Freeman.
Importantly, six British & Irish Lions feature among the replacements, enabling England to deploy sustained intensity deep into contests.
Australia under Joe Schmidt enter this match with momentum, yet England benefit from full squad availability at home.
The hosts’ depth and recent positive results over Ireland and France give reason for guarded optimism.
In ranking terms, England sit just outside rugby’s top tier and this series presents perhaps their best chance in recent years to close the gap.
While a win on Saturday would not instantly place them among the world’s elite, it would send a clear message: England are ready to challenge.
Their next objective is to turn potential into consistency and prove capable of beating the best across this elite series.
The match kicks off at 15:10 GMT at Twickenham on Saturday.
The encounter at Twickenham on Saturday will be a key litmus test as England strive to elevate from near-contender to fully fledged Rugby World Cup 2027 challenger.
Borthwick has restructured his coaching team ahead of the series, bringing in Lee Blackett as attack coach and shifting Richard Wigglesworth to defence.
The changes reflect England’s desire to refresh their identity and sharpen both attack and defence as they encounter southern-hemisphere opposition in four successive Tests.
The England captain, Maro Itoje, described the ambition plainly: “When you represent England you want to win trophies – Six Nations and World Cups.
That’s definitely the ambition of this team.” England will host Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina during November – demanding fixtures that provide an opportunity to build momentum and credibility.
Squad selection underscores the blend of experience and emerging talent.
George Ford retains the fly-half role, while Fraser Dingwall has been selected in midfield for his synergy with centre Tommy Freeman.
Importantly, six British & Irish Lions feature among the replacements, enabling England to deploy sustained intensity deep into contests.
Australia under Joe Schmidt enter this match with momentum, yet England benefit from full squad availability at home.
The hosts’ depth and recent positive results over Ireland and France give reason for guarded optimism.
In ranking terms, England sit just outside rugby’s top tier and this series presents perhaps their best chance in recent years to close the gap.
While a win on Saturday would not instantly place them among the world’s elite, it would send a clear message: England are ready to challenge.
Their next objective is to turn potential into consistency and prove capable of beating the best across this elite series.
The match kicks off at 15:10 GMT at Twickenham on Saturday.
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