England v Australia talking points: Steve Borthwick’s statement and marked man Henry Pollock

England and Australia will contest the Ella-Mobbs Trophy currently held by the Wallabies when their 116-year rivalry is renewed on Saturday.

The stage is set at Twickenham for another fierce battle between two old foes, with both sides eager to make a statement at the start of the Autumn Nations Series.

Memories of past classics still loom large, and with plenty of new faces on both teams, this latest showdown promises fresh intrigue and intensity.

Here are the five talking points heading into the autumn opener at Allianz Stadium.

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Selection statement

Steve Borthwick has cemented his reputation as a bold selector by making several audacious picks.

Tommy Freeman’s transition from wing to outside centre begins in earnest, rookie flanker Guy Pepper keeps out two British and Irish Lions and there are six of Andy Farrell’s summer tourists on the bench.

Add in George Ford‘s presence at fly-half ahead of Fin Smith and Marcus Smith – another two Lions – and Borthwick has once again shown his willingness to make big calls.

Preparation mismatch

“We’ve got four sessions, they’ve got four months. That’s fact,” said Borthwick earlier this week as he reflected on his lack of preparation time for a four-match autumn series that also features fixtures against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.

The Wallabies have played 11 matches so far this year compared to England’s eight, the most recent of which was last Saturday’s 19-15 victory over Japan in Tokyo

However, James O’Connor, Len Ikitau, Tom Hooper and Will Skelton are unavailable because the game falls outside the international window and Australia head coach Joe Schmidt counters that he is looking at England’s schedule enviously.

“This year we have 15 Test matches across 20 weeks, in eight countries, in 10 different time zones. I’d be happy to swap that for four training sessions, to be honest,” he said.

Borthwick’s bomb squad

England have loaded their bench with four Test Lions and two further members of the squad that inflicted a 2-1 series defeat on the Wallabies during the summer.

Borthwick’s preference is to deploy the six-strong forward contingent en masse, creating the potential for a South Africa-style second-half assault up front.

Tom Curry, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ellis Genge are among the heavyweights who will join the action at some point and it is hoped their experience will help close out a game if it goes down to the wire.

Marked man

Having made the rugby world sit up and take notice, Henry Pollock must now prove his stellar debut season was the beginning and not the end.

Former England wing Ugo Monye has described the dynamic 20-year-old as a “marked man” following his exploits so far in 2025, which have included his Test debut, heroics on the European stage and selection for the Lions.

Named on the bench against Australia, Pollock will be looking to make an explosive impact in the second half knowing the competition for places in the back row is fierce.

Oz resilience

On paper, an Australia side with issues at fly-half and missing some key personnel should fall short at Twickenham, even if they are in the midst of a revival under Schmidt.

But last November’s clash at the same venue, as well as their comebacks in the recent Rugby Championship, demonstrates the Wallabies’ ability to rescue lost causes.

It was Max Jorgensen’s overtime try that secured a dramatic 42-37 win against England 12 months ago and the gifted wing is present in the number 14 jersey once again.

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