England faced Australia in Perth on Saturday in the first match of a summer series of three Tests.
Eddie Jones boasts a flawless record against the Wallabies as England’s head coach, but the visitors come under another difficult run of form.
After winning just two of five games during another weak Six Nations campaign, a weak team was embarrassed in a hefty 52-21 drop by a 14-man Barbarians team last month at Twickenham.
Although it has now been strengthened by the return of the Saracens and Leicester players who competed in a classic Premiership final, England remain without a few key names due to injuries, while desperately looking for a moral boost with the 2023 World Cup. football tournament fast approaching the horizon and increasing disillusionment over Jones and the RFU’s leadership.
The tourists are likely in for a tough ride against Australia, who are currently the bookmakers’ favorites showing improvements under Dave Rennie, despite being beaten once again by the All Blacks in last year’s Bledisloe Cup and a desperate autumn tour tackled in which they lost. to England, Scotland and Wales.
The first Test in Perth is followed by two more matches on consecutive Saturdays, taking place in Brisbane and Sydney respectively. Gone is the old Cook Cup, which was retired and replaced by the Ella-Mobbs Cup for matches between Australia and England from this tour.
Australia vs England date, kick-off time and place
The first Test between Australia and England takes place on Saturday 2 July 2022, with kick-off scheduled for 10:55 am BST.
The opening match in the series is the Optus Stadium with 65,000 capacity in Perth, Western Australia.
How to watch Australia vs England
TV channels: In the UK, Australia vs England will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action, with coverage airing at 10:15 am.
Live stream: Subscribers can also watch the game unfold live online via the Sky Go app.
Live coverage: You can follow all the action as it happens on Saturday morning with Standard Sport’s LIVE match blog.
Australia vs England team news
Owen Farrell is back for England after an injury-plagued campaign, but is not the captain, with Jones preferring to keep Courtney Lawes in that role – a decision that apparently left his former captain “very unhappy”.
Farrell joins inside center with Joe Marchant, with recalled Danny Care earning his first English cap since November 2018 as part of a half-back pairing with Harlequins teammate Marcus Smith, with Ben Youngs remaining to support his family after the death of brother Tom’s wife Tiffany.
Joe Cokanasiga and Jack Nowell are on the wings with Jonny May isolating due to Covid, with Freddie Steward at fullback. England are without first-choice midfielders Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade due to injury.
In the pack, Billy Vunipola is recalled and starts at No8 with Alex Dombrandt and Sam Simmonds both injured, while Lawes and Tom Curry line up on the flanks and Maro Itoje joins Jonny Hill in the second row.
Owen Farrell is back for England but is not the captain of the team in Perth
/ DADKyle Sinckler’s absence means tighthead prop Will Stuart joins Ellis Genge and Jamie George in the front row, while ‘pupil’ Henry Arundell, Guy Porter and Jack van Poortvliet are all ready to earn their first caps off the bench.
The headline news from an Australian perspective comes with 33-year-old Brumbies lock Cadeyrn Neville getting off to a surprising start as his country’s oldest debutant this century.
There’s also a debut for hooker Dave Porecki, while veteran playmaker Quade Cooper is preferred over Noah Lolesio at flyhalf, with James O’Connor not quite fit and Nic White at 9. Michael Hooper is as usual the team captain of the open side flank.
Australia against England’s lineouts
Australia XV: banks; Kellaway, Ikitau, Kerevi, Koroibete; Cooper, White; Bell, Porecki, Alaalatoa, Swain, Neville, Leota, Hooper (c), Valetini.
Replacements: Fainga’a, Sio, Slipper, Philip, Samu, Gordon, Lolesio, Petaia.
England XV: steward; Nowell, Marchant, Farrell, Cokanasiga; Smith, Sorg; Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Hill, Lawes (c), Curry, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, M Vunipola, Heyes, Chessum, Ludlam, Van Poortlviet, Porter, Arundell.
Australia vs England prediction
England certainly had Australia’s number one under former Wallabies boss Jones, who over the years has delighted in handing out the blows to his homeland.
However, this series has a noticeably different feel with the visitors trapped in such a difficult run after another overwhelming Six Nations series and the end of the Jones era looming after next year’s World Cup.
The Aussies were set aside last autumn on their tour of the northern hemisphere, but will enjoy their chances of taking advantage of England’s problems and kicking off the three-match series with a bang.
Australia to win by five points.
Freddie Steward scored the opening try in England’s win over Australia in November 2021
/ AFP via Getty ImagesAustralia vs England head-to-head (h2h) history and results
The overall head-to-head between these two old opponents is actually very close, with England winning 26 matches against Australia’s 25 … with one draw.
But England dominated this match under Jones, winning eight in a row, including a well-known whitewash series in 2016, four autumn victories and a triumph in the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Oita.
The teams last met at Twickenham in November last year, when the hosts ran out with 32-15 winners in a tough affair.
Australia have yet to beat England since a thrilling 33-13 win over astonishing Twickenham in October 2015 sealed the hosts’ extremely early exit from the pool stages of the World Cup under Stuart Lancaster.
Australia vs England betting odds
Australia to win: 8/11
England to win: 6/5
Draw: 1/18
Chance via Betfair (subject to change).