England face Australia on Sunday with injuries and selection questions hanging over them
England open their November international programme against Australia on Sunday 8 November at Allianz Stadium, and head coach Steve Borthwick has a fitness list to work through before kick-off.
The biggest concern is the training ground. The Guardian reports that Tom Curry, Alex Mitchell and Archie McParland were all hurt on the Bagshot training pitch. Mitchell has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury, the hamstring being the muscle at the back of the thigh. Curry is a major injury doubt after pulling up during a full-intensity session on Wednesday.
Not everyone is heading the wrong way. England's team sheet shows Fin Baxter, Ben Curry and George Furbank back in the starting line-up after time out with injury, according to England Rugby. Borthwick named a 36-player squad for the November fixtures, as Reuters reported, so there is depth to call on.
Some players are out of the picture altogether. Guy Pepper, Benhard van Rensburg, Sam Underhill, Kepu Tuipulotu and Chandler Cunningham-South are out of contention for England selection, the Guardian says.
Discipline is another theme. England have received 14 yellow cards and one red card so far in 2026, according to the Guardian. A yellow card sends a player to the sin-bin for 10 minutes, while a red card means they leave the pitch for good. In July, England had four players sin-binned in the second half of a narrow win over Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
There is a recent reference point too. England beat Australia 25-7 in the same fixture a year ago, in November 2025, with Henry Pollock scoring. Australia's coach, Les Kiss, has said he expects an attacking edge to the game, Reuters reports.
Away from the pitch, the head coach's position has been discussed in public. According to a Times report, England players asked for a clear-the-air meeting in Argentina in July, over alleged unhappiness with how Borthwick manages people and what they saw as a lack of empathy. The Rugby Football Union has restated its wish for Borthwick to stay in charge through to the World Cup. Bill Sweeney is the union's chief executive.
For supporters, the immediate question is simple. Who is fit enough to start, and how will the squad cope if the injury list grows? The November series also includes matches against Japan and New Zealand, so the squad will need to last longer than one weekend.
Kick-off on Sunday will show how much the absences matter. A team missing key players can still win, as last year's result showed, but it has less room for error when the game gets tight.
