This weekend marks the beginning of the Autumn International series in which the home nations take on the best teams in world rugby (and Japan). England will be looking to repeat their stunning victory over New Zealand but in the recent past the Southern Hemisphere sides have been in charge. BBM takes a look at how each side might fair in the opening fixtures.
England
Fixtures:
ENGLAND V AUSTRALIA – Saturday 2 November
ENGLAND V ARGENTINA – Saturday 9 November
ENGLAND V NEW ZEALAND – Saturday 16 November
“A defining year for us”. That is how head coach Stuart Lancaster sees this set of games for England and with Twickenham sure to be full for all three games England will hope to build on a decent six nation. The Aussies are likely to have recently back on the wagon Quade Cooper at fly half and will pose a threat but if England can start well against a side still recovering from the summer Lions defeat then England fans expectations are likely to grown.
Wales
Fixtures:
WALES V SOUTH AFRICA – Saturday 9 November
WALES V ARGENTINA – Saturday 16 November
WALES V TONGA – Friday 22 November
Wales are reigning six nations champions and boast some of the finest talent in world rugby at this point (mainly in the form of George North – a legend already after his dominating performance during the summer Lions tests). Roared on by the pitch perfect singing of the Millenium Stadium the Welsh side face their toughest test first in South Africa. The Springbok are undoubtedly the second best team in the world and with Brian Habana (a man who once beat a cheater in a race) charged with keeping tabs on
North it could be a truly intriguing contest.
Ireland
Fixtures:
IRELAND V SAMOA – Saturday 9 November
IRELAND V QANTAS WALLABIES – Saturday 16 November
IRELAND V NEW ZEALAND – Sunday 24 November
Ireland should come away with a victory in their first Autumn international. These tests mark the first high profile fixtures for new Ireland boss Josef Schmidt and with opening games against Samoa and the Qantas Wallabies (we don’t know who they are either) he will be hoping the likes of Sexton and O’Driscoll can play themselves into form before a final showdown with the All Blacks at Croke Park. The Samoans are always physical but the Irish should have enough about them to win comfortably in this one.
SCOTLAND
Fixtures:
SCOTLAND V JAPAN – Saturday 9 November
SCOTLAND V SOUTH AFRICA – Sunday 17 November
SCOTLAND V AUSTRALIA – Saturday 23 November
Scotland start with their easiest game of the three Autumn Internationals, taking on the growing rugby nation of Japan. With defeat by Tonga undoubtedly still fresh in the mind of many Scottish fans they would be well advised not to take the Japanese threat lightly (even if the asian country is about as well known for rugby as Scotland is for sushi). Scotland will hope that a solid victory in their first game can give hope for the much tougher tests of South Africa and Australia and they may well be praying for traditional Scottish weather for the final two match ups.
By Alastair Davidson
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