England coach Steve Borthwick says his players have tried to make the most of limited preparation time before their Test against a comparatively battle-hardened Australia. Borthwick has just finished a three-day training camp with the squad before they return to their club sides on Wednesday. England face Australia in their opening match of this autumn's Nations Championship campaign at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on Sunday, 8 November.
While England must balance international preparations with the demands of the Premiership season, the Wallabies have much more time to focus on forthcoming matches. Australia have played 10 Tests since July, including matches against South Africa and New Zealand. "It's a case of doing more of less," Borthwick told BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones. "Identifying the clear priorities and chasing them and not being side-tracked, not deviating from that."
England's preparations have also been affected by the Premiership schedule, with players involved in Sunday's fixtures having less time for full squad training. "We had a session today really that was affected obviously by the fact that we had a Sunday game in Prem Rugby," Borthwick explained. "Fortunately, we don't have any Sunday games this coming week in Prem Rugby, which I'm pleased about. So that should allow players to be recovered in a proper run into the Test match."
Borthwick acknowledged the challenge of balancing club and international commitments but said playing at the weekend could benefit England. He also identified the breakdown as an area where England must adapt to the demands of international rugby, pointing to recent European fixtures in which English clubs lost more of their own breakdown ball and won less opposition ball than rivals. "The level of competition [at the breakdown] is at a different level in Test rugby," he said.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing