Category News

Date: Saturday, November 1 Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

For England’s opening autumn international against Australia on Saturday at Allianz Stadium, George Ford has been selected as fly-half.

Fin Smith of Northampton makes a bench debut, and Marcus Smith, a playmaker for the Harlequins, lacks space in the 23-man squad.

Tommy Freeman joins his Saints team-mate Fraser Dingwall in moving from the right wing, where he started all three of his Test starts for the British and Irish Lions.

It will be exciting to see him go there and see how he pushes on, said scrum-half Alex Mitchell, adding that “He] Freeman will be as good as he is on the wing at 13.”

He appreciates that, but there won’t be too much of a change with him because he will just want to get the ball in his hands and move past and pass people.

He has the power, height, and speed. He is conversant with the game. We are all aware of how incredible a player he is when all of that is combined. He is currently demonstrating that.

In England’s decisive Six Nations victory over Wales in March, Dingwall, 26, started in the center alongside Freeman.

Ollie Lawrence, who returned from an Achilles injury at the start of the season, and Henry Slade of Exeter Chiefs are the top contenders ahead of the Northampton pair.

Up until Lawrence’s injury in this year’s Six Nations against Italy, they were Head Coach Steve Borthwick’s regular midfield duo.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Roebuck, both from Sale, are on the right.

Roebuck, 24, has been a reliable performer since making his international debut last year, scoring twice in his first Test match against Argentina.

Feyi-Waboso, 22, from Exeter, has struggled with injury and was suspended from the Pumas’ Tests, but with seven Prem tries, has hit the ground running this year.

As Borthwick, who was back for the Leicester Tigers and scored a try in each Test against the Pumas, continues his form at full-back while Marcus Smith started three times at this year’s Six Nations.

After his sensational five-try debut debut earlier this month, Borthwick has resisted including Saracens wing Noah Caluori, 19.

Ben Earl of Saracens is the first Bath flanker to start at number eight, followed by Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill in the pack.

Ford was named co-captain for England’s summer tour while Smith and the Lions were both away in Australia, and they led the team to a stunning series victory in Argentina and a convincing victory over the United States.

The Sale Sharks playmaker, who has 102 caps, was disappointed to miss the Lions’ tour but had a chance to recover from it in an English setting.

Fin Smith, who finished this year’s Six Nations as England’s starting fly-half, was unable to force his way into the Test squad despite having started off the bench for the first Test in Australia but being mostly used at full-back on the tour.

Borthwick has rewarded Ford’s leadership and quality on that trip by consistently producing high-level summer performances, something that has been lacking over the past seasons.

Pepper came off the bench to score the series-winning try in the opener against the Pumas, which Underhill did in both Tests against the Pumas.

Henry Pollock, a 20-year-old tourist to the Lions, will start both of his energies off the bench, and both have received kicks in the back.

Pepper, age 22, has a strong foot and is capable of playing line-out alongside Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum’s teammates at 6′ 3″.

Before it hosts the 2027 Open Championship, St. Andrews’ Old Course will be lengthened by 132 yards as part of a revamp.

On the fifth, sixth, seventh, and tenth holes of the world-famous links, new championship tees will be added, with additions planned for the 11th and 16th holes.

As the R&amp, A, which organizes the game’s oldest major, wants to make sure “the Old Course continues to evolve and challenge the world’s best golfers, new bunkers will also be added to the sixth and the 10th.”

Other bunkers, such as the legendary 17th, the Road Hole, will be altered.

The changes, according to R&amp’s CEO Mark Darbon, are also crucial for “enhancing the experience of local and visiting golfers.”

According to Pep Guardiola, James Trafford will soon become England’s top goalkeeper, according to the manager.

Trafford, 23, started the season as the first choice after returning from Burnley in the summer and playing in the first three Premier League games. Since then, Gianluigi Donnarumma has been a substitute since Paris St-Germain’s arrival on deadline day.

He is expected to play in Swansea on Wednesday night (19:45 GMT), having won the Carabao Cup third-round at Huddersfield.

The keeper is a unique situation because the first one, in Guardiola’s opinion, plays the second one, which is customarily the case. We are delighted with his behavior during training, all I can say is.

Jordan Pickford, a member of Everton’s top team, has won 80 caps and is England’s undisputed top man, currently recording nine straight clean sheets, despite differing opinions regarding whether he or Trafford is the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.

According to city sources, Trafford’s move in July was valued at £27 million plus add-ons, but Burnley sources estimate that the figure includes a sell-on clause and add-ons.

The latter figure would surpass Everton’s previous record of $30 million for Pickford in 2017.

When asked if there were concerns about game time during a World Cup year, Guardiola claimed to have spoken with Trafford and “other players.”

Trafford was given the call up for the final four squads after helping the Under-21s win the 2023 European Championship without conceding a goal, but he has yet to do so.

Guardiola continued, “We have an incredible keeper.” He will eventually be the one for England.

After colliding with a post after receiving an offside penalty, Erling Haaland was struggling in Sunday’s defeat at Aston Villa.

With Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki in contention to start, Guardiola claimed that the Swansea trip is an opportunity to rest the Norwegian striker.

Erling, he continued, “Day by Day, it was a knock, and it is getting better. We will assess his feelings and determine whether he can play while we train this afternoon.

Due to heavy snowfall, Iceland will have to play in Northern Ireland’s Nations League promotion/relegation play-off second leg.

The game was scheduled for Tuesday, 18:00 GMT, at Reykjavik’s Laugardalsvollur Stadium.

The situation and the course of action are being looked at, according to a statement from the Icelandic football association, KSI.

The match might be changed on Wednesday or play during the upcoming international window, which starts at December 1st.

The capital of Iceland is expected to experience more snowfall through Tuesday through Wednesday.

Glodis Viggosdottir and Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir scored the goals that gave Iceland a two-goal lead going into Friday’s first leg in Ballymena.

Northern Ireland’s young side, led by Tanya Oxtoby, is aiming for League A promotion for the first time.