Why England have stacked their bench – and given the Wallabies an opportunity

Here is a statistic that might comfort Wallabies fans looking ahead to the Twickenham clash against England with a degree of anxiety given the amount of good players who are unavailable.

England have not won the opening Test of their November campaign since 2021, when they beat Tonga.
Since then, they have suffered opening-night losses to Argentina (2022) and New Zealand (2024), and their coach Steve Borthwick seemed painfully aware of their slow November starts as he talked up their lack of preparation time this week.

But the biggest giveaway that England are searching for an answer to that problem came from their team selection.

Superficially, it’s a strange-looking team – almost lightweight up front, with baby-faced loosehead prop Fin Baxter joining Joe Heyes of Leicester in the front row, with British and Irish Lions props Ellis Genge and Will Stuart biding their time on the bench.

At No.6, Guy Pepper is more of a rangy athlete than a brute, and their decision not to pick the France-bound Tom Willis at No.8 denies them of more heft, with Ben Earl at the back of the scrum.

But these decisions – and the selection of George Ford at No.10 – stem from their 2-0 series win against Argentina in July when the vast majority of the rugby world was focused on the Wallabies-Lions series.

England coach Steve Borthwick at training this week.Credit: Getty Images

Almost under the radar, the England scrum was doing a serious number on the Argentinians, while Ford was causing them some real issues on the edge with his kick-passes to the tall winger Tom Roebuck, who has also been selected against the Wallabies.

Repeat viewing of those Tests in Argentina, won 35-12 and 22-17 by England, indicate that it was Baxter doing most of the destructive work at scrum time – a result of England’s preparedness to hold the ball in the scrum and go for a secondary shove against the backpedalling Pumas.

Those Tests in South America have certainly given the Wallabies some rich intelligence ahead of the Test in London, but Borthwick’s decision to back the same players in search of a faster November start has also created a window of opportunity for the Wallabies.

As good a young prop as Baxter is – and he’s only 23 – England lose something by not starting Genge (and Stuart likewise). If Taniela Tupou wants to be known as a world-class prop, this is the time to deliver.

The Wallabies have an advantage out of the blocks in the back row. Rob Valetini’s recent form has been a bit scratchy, but he has a chance to impose himself at Twickenham and Ford’s defensive frailties make him the obvious target for the Wallabies’ heavier ball runners.

The flipside is that England’s strong bench will, in theory, make sure they come home with the wind at their backs. Flankers Tom Curry and Henry Pollock are potential game changers, while back-up No.10 Fin Smith is a class act who can defend as well as he can attack.

But the Wallabies have the ability to start the Test well and if they are capable of putting some scoreboard pressure on England they can take the Twickenham factor out of the Test – or even turn it against their hosts.

Loading

The Wallabies’ selection omission that did come as a surprise was the omission of Ben Donaldson. The Western Force playmaker has seemingly plunged well down the pecking order but is still a player I believe can offer value at the highest level.

Carlo Tizzano is similarly unlucky after proving emphatically this year that he is Test quality, but he might have paid an indirect price for the injury to Tate McDermott.

The Reds’ halfback absence has arguably reduced the Wallabies bench flexibility and capacity to go with a 6-2 split, with McDermott showing against the Lions that he is a legitimate option to cover the wing position if needed.

For all the talk of missing Len Ikitau, Will Skelton, Tom Hooper and James O’Connor – and my view is that if you organise a Test outside the World Rugby release window you know what you’re signing up for – it is the combined unavailability of Nic White (retired) and McDermott (injured) that the Wallabies are taking a bit of time to adjust to.

Most Viewed in Sport

Loading