England are planning Australia’s downfall through a brainstorming session with the designers of ‘Bazball’.
Steve Borthwick and his second Richard Wigglesworth met England cricket coach Brendon McCullum and his assistants in Manchester in the build-up to the autumn campaign.
Both teams face a significant task against their great rivals with the Wallabies visiting the Allianz Stadium on Saturday before England’s cricket stars head Down Under for the Ashes series.
McCullum oversaw a national revival using an aggressive, high-risk style of play, and his mental approach was particularly exciting to his rugby colleagues.
“We talked about a lot of things. There were a lot of mindsets. I asked Brendon how he changed that in English cricket. It was really interesting,” said the Wigglesworth fielding coach.
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Luke Cowan-Dickie and Alex Mitchell join Sky Sports to talk all things rugby ahead of the autumn internationals.
“We then looked at the art of coaching someone one-on-one – my role as a manager and my role as an assistant.
“We’ve sat down for quite a while and done a lot of work. They’re doing a good job.
“They will go out and get a good result, just like any England team playing against Australia would want and we hope to put one on the board on Saturday.
“It’s a great rivalry with Australia. We really enjoy playing against each other because both sides have something to offer. Play on Saturday.”
England are the team most likely to start the autumn with a win, but they will face a resurgent Australian side who have benefited from the guidance of master coach Joe Schmidt.
Wigglesworth was part of Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions management team that scored a 2-1 series win over the Wallabies over the summer, giving a clear picture of the threat looming at Twickenham.
“Australia has this level of talent and this much pace, they always have, but what Joe has done incredibly well is coaching tight games,” Wigglesworth said.
“When they get that part right, they’re really hard to stop. I’ve learned that once they get momentum and the game gets through the middle, it creates space for these great athletes.”
Itoje delighted with cousin’s Arsenal debut
Maro Itoje will lead England into their battle with Australia but has joked that his 17-year-old cousin Andre Harriman-Annous is at risk of losing his place as the family’s sporting superstar after making his debut for Arsenal.
Harriman-Annous was a starter in the Gunners’ 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Brighton on Wednesday night.
“I’ve passed the baton! I hope he soars. He’s done amazingly well and I hope it continues for a long time. Not only because he’s my cousin but also because I support Arsenal. It’s a double whammy,” Itoje said.
“I didn’t make this game, but I’m incredibly proud and happy for him. He’s worked incredibly hard over the last 10 years.
“These football players start very young. I remember going to his house when I was seven and his older cousins were training him. I remember thinking, ‘This is pretty intense!’”
England national team against Australia | Edmed starts for the Wallabies at flyhalf.
XV starts: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12, Fraser Dingwall, 11 Emmanuel Fay-Waboso, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Finn Baxter, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Hayes, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.
shift: 16 Luke Cowan Dickey, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stewart, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Currie, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Finn Smith.
australia: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon; #1 Angus Bell, #2 Billy Pollard, #3 Taniela Tupou, #4 Nick Frost, #5 Jeremy Williams, #6 Rob Ballettini, #7 Fraser McWright and #8 Harry Wilson.
shift: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia Loto, 20 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
England Autumn Nations Series Schedule
November 1st
England v Australia – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (3.10pm)
November 8
England v Fiji – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (5.40pm)
November 15th
England v New Zealand – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (3.10pm)
November 23rd
England v Argentina – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (4.10pm)
