Copyright manchestereveningnews
Rugby makes its intense return this weekend as England face Australia in the opening fixture of the Quilter Nations Series. The autumn international matches commence with a journey to Twickenham as Steve Borthwick's side aim to launch their campaign with a home victory. The England head coach is anticipating the "great test" that Australia will provide for his team. Borthwick said: "Our focus is on making the most of the time we have together as we approach what will be a fiercely competitive series. Facing Australia in the opening match will be a great test against a team that has been training and playing together for some time and is one of the in-form teams in the world." Here, Manchester Evening News provides comprehensive information on how you can watch the first international rugby match of this month's series. England will face Australia on Saturday, November 1 at 3.10pm UK time. The game will take place at Twickenham Stadium, the home of the England rugby team. Live broadcast of England vs Australia will start at 2pm UK time on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and Discovery+. England vs Australia isn't the only international rugby encounter taking place this Saturday. Additional matches include: England's starting XV: Freddie Steward, Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Ford, Alex Mitchell, Fin Baxter, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje (C), Ollie Chessum, Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl. Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Alex Coles, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Fin Smith. Steve Borthwick: "We're excited to begin our Quilter Nations Series campaign against Australia and to test ourselves against a strong, in-form side. Australia have had four months together, so it'll be a great challenge for us first up. "We've worked hard with the time we've had, and the players can't wait to play in front of a passionate home crowd. It's another opportunity for us to take a step forward as a team." Joe Schmidt: "With England's strong pack, it just means that we are light in the second row, and we may need to get some reserves dug out from Australia. "That's probably our first thought. Josh Canham obviously won't be available next week, and as yet, I don't have the full feedback on Lukhan Salakaia-Loto. "With them being in the same position, I don't think Nick [Champion de Crespigny] here is that keen to play another 60 minutes of lock, so we do have to find someone else to do it."
