Autumn Internationals: England, New Zealand, Australia

England’s Eddie Jones asks his side for Autumn Internationals clean sweep

England will play the New Zealand All Blacks, Australia and South Africa in the upcoming Autumn Internationals fixtures. Jones says the autumn seriues will be a good indicator of where England are, a year ahead of the Rugby World Cup. And reportedly, Jones has asked his men for the All Blacks scalp to be part of an Autumn Internationals 2018 clean sweep. The national teams of England and New Zealand last met in 2014. Ahead of the Autumn Internationals, England manager Eddie Jones has challenged his England rugby side to deliver a clean sweep against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in November after a date was finally set for England’s first clash with the New Zealand All Blacks in four years. After originally failing in March to fit an England match with the All Blacks into this autumn’s schedule, the Rugby Football Union on Wednesday announced England’s 2018 fixture list, which includes clashes against New Zealand on 10 November, with Australia, South Africa and Japan also schedules at Twickenham Stadium. The England v New Zealand clash will be the last between the world’s top-ranked two teams before the 2019 World Cup. Buy England v New Zealand rugby tickets now securely online from the LiveRugbyTickets.co.uk online rugby union marketplace!

England last played New Zealand resulting in a defeat in November 2014 that capped a horrible run of 5 defeats to the All Blacks within 12 months. England last beat the world champion All Blacks with a Manu Tuilagi inspired  38-21 win in 2012. More recently a run of 19 wins from 20 matches has happened under England boss Eddie Jones. Fifteen England rugby players took part in the recent British & Irish Lions’ series draw last summer down under in New Zealand. So next November’s battle at Twickenham will provide an eagerly-anticipated showdown between the two titan rugby teams in the Autumn Internationals. “We want to win that series 4-0 and we will need to play extremely well to beat four very good teams,” said Eddie Jones. “Over the next year we need to continue to develop a bulletproof side, that can find ways to win in matches, and we will have to work hard and be smart in what we do to bridge the gap between us and the All Blacks.” England’s autumn campaign against Argentina, Samoa and Australia, began on 11 November. It was revealed the RFU had attempted to hijack the Barbarians’ match against New Zealand at Twickenham on 4 November. The All Blacks decided to honor their fixture with the invitational side despite a lucrative offer from the RFU.

“Our ambition is to be the No1 team in the world going into the 2019 World Cup in Japan,” said Eddie Jones. “The series will give us a really good indicator of where we are as a squad, a year out.”

Rugby Player Update

Wales’s Sam Warburton will miss autumn internationals with neck injury. Cardiff Blues have announced that the former Wales skipper, who captained the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand this summer will likely miss four months due to his injury. England’s Anthony Watson has recovered from the left arm injury he suffered against Saracens on Saturday and is set to feature for Bath against Northampton. Flanker Sam Underhill, who won his first England cap in June, made his first start for Bath. “Since the Lions, Anthony’s taken his game to a whole new level, on the field and off the field,” said Bath director of rugby, Todd Blackadder. “The gas he has; he’s got a great kicking game and with a little bit of space he’s unstoppable.” Northampton reported that South African back-row Heinrich Brussow will join their club in January. Brussow, 31, who won his last Springboks cap in 2015, has been signed as a replacement for Louis Picamoles, who left Northampton for Montpellier in the summer for a record transfer fee, understood to be £1.3m.

A new report says the Barbarians will not be able to include any of England’s 2017 Lions for their match against New Zealand at Twickenham on 4 November, ending hopes of making the match an unofficial decider after the Lions’ drawn series. The Barbarians will face the All Blacks one week before the start of the autumn international series in Europe. England face Argentina the following week and their head coach, Eddie Jones, wants all his players in the two-week training camp that precedes the meeting with the Pumas. The Barbarians who will be coached by Robbie Deans. often struggle to field current internationals in their November and May matches, but have been in contact with the four home unions and Premiership Rugby to try to make the side that faces the All Blacks “more contemporary than historic”.

“We are going to assemble an extremely strong squad for this game,” said a spokesman for the Barbarian club. “We hope it will include players involved in the Lions series with the All Blacks and that they will get the chance to face New Zealand for a fourth time this year. We have reached an agreement with Premiership Rugby, who have been very supportive about player release. We will talk with the home unions about access to players.”

England’s responded quickly

“England players will be focusing on preparing for our matches ahead of the Old Mutual Wealth Series and will not be released for the Barbarians fixture,” a Rugby Football Union spokesman said. As the Six Nations champions supplied 10 players to last Saturday’s matchday 23 for the final Test in Auckland, the Barbarians will be light on Lions. Wales, who had five starters and two players on the bench, face New Zealand in Cardiff on 25 November, the third of four autumn Tests, and will be reluctant to overexpose players who will not long have returned to playing after missing the opening weeks of the season to recover from the Lions tour. Wales head coach Warren Gatland led the Lions in New Zealand. Gatland agreed after the draw at Eden Park that using the Barbarians as a means of extending the series “would be good, wouldn’t it.”

The RFU’s deal with Premiership Rugby gives the England head coach an extra week’s access to players before the start of an autumn series and the Six Nations, leaving clubs without their national squad members the week before the first international. LiveRugbyTickets.co.uk has rugby tickets available for all rugby fans. Buy legal, 150% guaranteed rugby union tickets for all international rugby matches securely online including Six Nations tickets, England rugby tickets for the Autumn Internationals, New Zealand rugby tickets, Ireland rugby tickets, Wales rugby tickets, Rugby World Cup 2019 tickets, France rugby tickets including Six Nations rugby tickets.