Ahead of the crunch clash between England and Australia at Twickenham Stadium, Wallabies great David Campese previews the Autumn Nations Series match with his five talking points.

England to hit the ground running

“We are in a scenario where England have an advantage over Australia based on the extra game against New Zealand and the momentum they gained in that Test despite the result.” Fields explained.

“The second Bledisloe Test is the last time the Wallabies played, about two months ago, and while there have been signs of improvement, they are still nowhere near the level of defensive intensity and attacking power that England have already shown and I think it will be a very tough day on the winning line and at the breakdown for the Aussies.

“Two months is a long time in Test rugby terms – especially when you’re playing in different climates against a group of players you don’t come across often, certainly domestically, and I feel the narrow defeat took England’s toll. will really boost their resolve.

“Also, they simply have to turn the perception almost to men; close losses to France, New Zealand three times and the Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa will loom large in their minds. They might deny it, they’ll talk about learning and trajectory, but take it from me, deep down they’ll have doubts about their ability to close out matches, and that gives Australia their best chance.

Play 80 minutes

“I saw an interesting statistic that England only average three points in the last quarter of games under Steve Borthwick. I then look at the five defeats I alluded to and they have one thing in common – in each case England were ahead after 60 minutes,” Campese confirmed.

“Now that confirms one of two things – either England have a fitness problem or their bench just doesn’t affect the way their starters are.

“Personally, I think it’s a combination of both, along with taking out the players who are in control of the match.

“Hearing Borthwick’s comments about his replacement strategy last Saturday, he said something like: ‘When you have the talent of Ford and company, why not put them on?’ Now, I couldn’t disagree more with this simply because it reeks of pre-planning and suggests that the strategy is not based on live data and what is happening in front of the coaches’ eyes.

“Taking off Marcus Smith and Ben Spencer when they were in control of the game against the All Blacks was absolutely ridiculous – what was there to gain with the new men? Was it more or less risk to continue with the incumbents? I think we all know the answer to that!

“So the Wallabies, a team that has shown good form and resilience in the latter stages of the Rugby Championship campaign, must box smart: load the bench with quality, knowing England are the weakest of the last 20.

“To be precise, Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou are not 60 or 70 minute players. But in the final 25 minutes, if they come England will have no match for their power and Schmidt would be wise to box smartly and hold them back when England are most vulnerable.

“Stay a score in touch and the game is there for the taking in the last 20.”

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The contrast of the red area

“England made four visits to the All Blacks’ 22 for a combined total of just over two minutes in the red zone in last weekend’s Test. More than half of those minutes were in the last five of the game when England had a scrum down to 14 men but failed to attack and hold against a numerical weakness, something I find puzzling. Rather than going for the kill with the ball in hand, the focus has been on the drop goal and I feel that this weekend, they need to show a lot more ambition with the ball in hand and threaten the line and the red zone a lot more.

“South Africa are masters at keeping the ball in these scenarios and eroding the defensive system with waves of pressure and retention around the 22m, meaning they are always in a position to take start points or break down a tiring defense . England just don’t apply as much pressure around that 22m line, something Australia will be well aware of.

“The Wallabies have a very good record of converting points when they are in the opposition’s red zone; if they can get forward and have the back-row carriers to make small shots, then the relative efficiency of both sides will go down in Australia’s favour.”

England midfielder

“Continuing with the theme of England’s attacking ineffectiveness, we noticed that Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence switched center positions this weekend,” continued Campese.

“Now, some might think this is no big deal, but I disagree. England are in a bit of a trade-off – Slade is a brilliant and obscene full-back, at 13, the most difficult position to defend, but on the other hand, his pace and distribution are well behind Lawrence, who is easily the best attack England have.

“I think we will see England employ a hybrid formation. Expect to see Slade at 13 in defense but Lawrence there in the first phase of attack. If Lawrence is 13 in defence, then expect to see Australia flooding that channel with waves around the corner from nine and ten.

“On the other hand, Slade at 12 means fewer yards for direct carries from the big Aussie forwards and centres.

“It’s a very interesting call by England, one I fully understand, but I’ll be interested to see what they gain from last weekend because of the defensive solidity they put in.”

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Australia’s DNA

“Ultimately, if Australia want to win on Saturday, then they have to play the Australian way.

“I am aware of rumors around Rugby Australia that Joe Schmidt is unlikely to continue beyond the 2025 Lions series – mainly due to health issues in his immediate family – and I wish him the best in dealing with that.

“Today seems to be a day characterized by political comebacks (!). Word is that RA is already talking to Michael Cheika about returning to the Wallaby head coaching role after his stint at Leicester Tigers, who I believe are already preparing for that eventuality. by entering into a dialogue with Graham Rowntree regarding a succession plan.

“For me, Schmidt is a great organizer, but he is too controlling. The Australian way is creativity, invention and flair, not noise from 30 metres. That will play into England’s hands and they know how to fight a team into submission.

“Australia need to play loose and wide, pull the big English forwards around the park and then use that strength on the bench to success.

“A lot of the Poms see this as a can’t lose game but from what I’ve seen England are capable of losing any game they play in the last 20 and Australia have to box smart and react to the game from the front, not to run. pre-planned moves all day which just doesn’t reflect our rugby culture and values.”

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