So here it is, the end of year Tests. Or to us in the northern hemisphere, ”the autumn internationals”.
On Saturday, thus begins four weeks of international rugby, where for the southern hemisphere sides their season is over (barring Argentina where most of their players in the national side are in the middle of a gruelling domestic Top 14 campaign in France) and looking to end the year in style.
The opening game of the end of year Tests is England versus Australia at Twickenham.
While the Australians are preparing to start the first of five consecutive weekly Tests (where I analysed their opponents in a previous article) with a replacement captain in the form of Ben Mowen the English have several intriguing plots to contend with.
Firstly, the Red Rose’s plans have been dealt a blow with prop Alex Corbisiero ruled out of Saturday’s game with a knee injury.
The prop is a vital cog in England’s front five especially in the scrum – his scrummaging abilities is immense and was brutally shown against the Australians in the third Lions Test in Sydney.
The American-born prop blew away the Wallaby pack and was one of the star players for the Lions that led them to win the series at Sydney earlier in July.
Corbisiero’s replacement against Australia will be Mako Vunipola whose appearances for England have mostly come from the bench.
Such is his impact when it comes to ball carrying and tackling shows why England have used him as a impact sub.
They have been choosing to put him on with 20 minutes of a match left when players are tired after 60 minutes of high physicality with hundreds of tackles being put in.
However, a potential flaw in Vunipola’s game is in the scrum, where against the Wallabies in the second Lions Test at Melbourne he conceded several penalties.
However, the other prop on the bench for Saturday’s game is Joe Marler.
The Harlequins prop also had problems in the scrum against Australia in November last year at Twickenham in a game the Wallabies won.
Marler continually got penalised by the ref for not binding at the scrum much to the annoyance of England fans.
It is possibly those binding issues, as well as the impact Vunipola brings with his ball carrying skills, the reason why head coach Stuart Lancaster has picked Mako Vunipola ahead of Joe Marler.
Another interesting subplot England is a new look centre partnership after injuries to Brad Barritt and Manu Tuliagi ruled them out of the end of year Tests.
It is not surprising that Lancaster has chosen Billy Twelvetrees, as the Gloucester centre did well on his debut last year against Scotland in the Six Nations.
He scored a try, as well as making line breaks and generally being positive in his play.
However, it is the selection of Joel Tomkins, brother of NRL-bound rugby league star Sam Tomkins, that is intriguing.
Tomkins switched codes from rugby league’s Wigan Warriors (the same club Sam Tomkins played for along with England winger Chris Ashton) over two years ago to sign with Saracens.
Since then the 26-year-old has made his mark in the Aviva Premiership with Saracens.
His performances in the Premiership and Heineken Cup attracted the attention of Stuart Lancaster and had been called up for their summer tour to Argentina before injury forced him to withdraw.
However, he has continued his good form with Saracens this season, with his starting berth in the England side to face Australia his reward.
It is an excellent opportunity for Tomkins to show what he can do on the international stage.
Perform well in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham and he could be in Lancaster’s plans for the Six Nations next year and possibly for the World Cup in 2015.
Another person that could be a permanent fixture in the England set up is 21-year-old London Irish winger Marland Yarde.
He has been in excellent form scoring 7 tries in 23 appearances last season for London Irish while scoring two tries on debut against Argentina in June.
A man with electrifying pace Yarde’s inclusion in the starting XV is warranted and certainly has a bright future showing good form this season as well.
In addition, Northampton Saints’ scrum half Lee Dickson’s inclusion ahead of Ben Youngs is reward for an impressive start to the season – so much so that Dickson is keeping Samoan starlet Kahn Fotuali’I on the bench.
One refreshing thing about Lancaster is that he is willing to reward players who have shown form for their domestic clubs and does not rely on reputation like some head coaches.
One position Lancaster will also be hoping to nail down is at fullback.
Three players have vied for that position in recent years – Ben Foden, Alex Goode and Mike Brown but haven’t been able to make that position their own.
Lancaster has chosen Mike Brown to be fullback for Saturday’s game with Alex Goode who was full back during the Six Nations released from the squad and Ben Foden on the bench.
It is a good chance for Brown, who has primarily been played on the wing for England, to claim the No.15 jersey.
It has been a problem position for England and one they have failed to solve ever since world cup-winning legend Jason Robinson retired in 2003.
For Stuart Lancaster he knows that these autumn internationals will thoroughly Test his players and will be a good indicator at where his team is with just two years to go until they host the Rugby World Cup.
Australia will be eager to end their year on a high and show their team is progressing under Ewen McKenzie, especially after the drama of the Robbie Deans era.
McKenzie has gone through some painful losses against New Zealand and South Africa in the Rugby Championship. But there are some small seeds of progress after their surprise demolition of Argentina in Rosario and their battling performance against New Zealand in Dunedin.
England’s next opponents after Australia are Argentina under new coach Daniel Hourcade after Santiago Phelan resigned – some say pushed out after divisions within the squad.
The Pumas will want to show they are still a relevant force in world rugby after a winless Rugby Championship.
Hourcade has shown his appetite for bringing in youth especially in the backs by bringing in two young uncapped players (though they played in the South American Championship they are uncapped against Tier 1 opposition) in his 27-man squad against England.
They are 22-year-old centre Javier Rojas and 19-year-old wing/full back whom many will know I have raved about him after his performances in the Junior World Championships and IRB World Sevens circuit.
Hourcade has coached both players when he was in charge of the Pampas XV in the Vodacom Cup.
England’s final game of this year’s autumn internationals against New Zealand will be a tough task.
The All Blacks haven’t forgotten their surprise loss against the English with Steve Hansen and his players quite keen to atone for what happened at Twickenham last year.
But for now Lancaster will be focused on beating the Wallabies and with it begin their autumn internationals on the right track.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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