England’s urgent quest to fast-track the development of a new generation of formidable forwards will be helped by the confirmation of another A team fixture in the autumn, against Australia.
The RFU has announced that Steve Borthwick will select a second national team to face their Wallaby counterparts at The Stoop on Sunday 17 November.
The match follows England’s senior side’s clash with world champions South Africa just across the road at Twickenham the previous day, and eight days after Borthwick’s bosses take on Australia’s top side.
An effort has been made to revive the tradition of “A” matches, which had been regarded as a useful development tool in the days when the team known as the “Saxons” provided a springboard into Test rugby for emerging English talent.
After years of not playing such a game, England A took on Portugal at Welford Road in February, beating a young and outclassed visitor 91-5. The Wallabies, who are the reserves, should provide a tougher test.
After thrashing Portugal 91-5, England ‘A’ will face Australia ‘A’ in November
Fin Baxter’s 22-year-old performance against Portugal for England ‘A’ helped convince Steve Borthwick to select him for the senior team and he excelled on the tour to New Zealand.
The ‘A’ team has been revived from the ashes of the ‘Saxons’ team to help prepare young players for Test rugby – former England captain Dylan Hartley once followed that same path.
That game in Leicester featured Fin Baxter in the home front row and helped convince Borthwick that the Harlequins rookie prop was ready for a Test debut, which duly occurred in New Zealand this month.
Baxter was a substitute in Dunedin and started against the All Blacks in Auckland, performing superbly in difficult circumstances.
Others who played against Portugal were selected for the senior tour: Charlie Ewels, Joe Heyes and Harry Randall.
Before flying home from Auckland, Borthwick revealed he will prioritise the search for new top forwards, with a particular focus on uncovering England’s next generation of locks.
The ‘A’ match could provide a launching pad for some of the youthful frontline prospects who have helped propel England to the Under-20 World Cup final on Friday, such as Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon and Bath’s Billy Sela.
For the Portugal game, Gloucester head coach George Skivington has been assigned to manage the England team and the RFU will assemble a management team for the clash against the Wallabies, in consultation with Premiership Rugby.
Current England assistant Richard Wigglesworth was another who played for the Saxons.
Current England and Saracens star Elliot Daly has gained valuable experience with the ‘Saxons’
The union’s performance director Conor O’Shea said: ‘We are delighted to confirm this fixture.
‘The England A squad is a great platform for the country’s best players to show what they can do while representing the country. It gives Steve Borthwick and his staff the chance to see players outside of their club environment, and the players the chance to impress.
‘A match against an Australian A team will pit our players against a very tough opponent, and we continue to work to secure more playing time for the A team in the near future.’