Information checked: November 7, 2026, at 3:38 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time in London (GMT, UTC+00:00; 15:38 UTC).
England and Australia have confirmed their 23-player teams for the Nations Championship Round 4 match at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Sunday, November 8, 2026. England captain Maro Itoje returns, Fin Smith has been cleared to start at fly-half, and Harry Wilson leads Australia with Fraser McReight selected for what would be his 50th Test appearance. The scheduled kickoff remains 3:10 p.m. GMT in London (15:10 UTC). At this check, the official match center still lists the fixture as upcoming; no score or winner has been confirmed.
The most relevant additional team-sheet detail is Australia's selection of Josh Canham and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto together as starting Test locks for the first time, with Jeremy Williams shifting to blindside flanker. Rugby Australia has also published new November 7 reporting on Canham ahead of his return to Twickenham. Those developments provide more context for how Australia may approach England's forward pack, but they do not establish how the game will unfold.
The match is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 3:10 p.m. GMT (UTC+00:00) at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, England. The official Nations Championship match center identifies it as Round 4 and gives 15:10 UTC. London will be on GMT, not British Summer Time, after the late-October daylight saving change.
| Location and time zone | Scheduled kickoff |
|---|---|
| London — GMT (UTC+00:00) | Sunday, November 8, 3:10 p.m. |
| UTC | Sunday, November 8, 15:10 UTC |
| Sydney and Melbourne — AEDT (UTC+11:00) | Monday, November 9, 2:10 a.m. |
The World Rugby match record confirms the venue and appoints French referee Pierre Brousset, with Nika Amashukeli and Jeremy Rozier as assistants, Tual Trainini as television match official, and Matteo Liperini as foul play review officer. The teams and match officials are announced ahead of kickoff and remain subject to late changes.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has selected Itoje to captain England in the second row. Fin Smith is fit to start after recovering from a calf problem, while George Furbank returns at fullback and Fin Baxter and Ben Curry are back in the starting pack. The November 6 England team report carried by Rugby Australia describes Furbank's appearance as his first for England in roughly two years and says Borthwick made four changes from the side that beat Argentina in July.
Forwards (1–8): Fin Baxter, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje (captain), Alex Coles, Ollie Chessum, Ben Curry, Ben Earl.
Backs (9–15): Jack van Poortvliet, Fin Smith, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Seb Atkinson, Henry Slade, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank.
Replacements (16–23): Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Martin, Greg Fisilau, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Marcus Smith.
The published England matchday team includes six forward replacements and two backs. Fisilau is uncapped and could make his senior England debut if he plays; a place on the bench does not itself count as a Test appearance. Ellis Genge, George Martin and Henry Pollock offer different forward options later in the game, while Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith cover the backline.
Wallabies coach Les Kiss has retained Harry Wilson as captain at No. 8. The Rugby Australia's official November 6 team announcement names Fraser McReight at openside flanker, with his 50th international appearance pending his participation on matchday. Jeremy Williams moves to No. 6 as Canham and Salakaia-Loto start together at lock.
Forwards (1–8): Angus Bell, Billy Pollard, Allan Alaalatoa, Josh Canham, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Jeremy Williams, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (captain).
Backs (9–15): Ryan Lonergan, Declan Meredith, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Isaac Henry, Max Jorgensen, Tom Wright.
Replacements (16–23): Josh Nasser, Isaac Kailea, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Filipo Daugunu.
Angus Bell joins Billy Pollard and Allan Alaalatoa in the front row. Len Ikitau returns in midfield alongside Isaac Henry after missing the previous Test under head-injury assessment protocols, according to Rugby Australia. Ryan Lonergan and Declan Meredith pair up at scrum-half and fly-half, with Suaalii and Jorgensen on the wings and Wright at fullback. The named replacements provide five forwards and three backs.
Rugby Australia's team-selection report on Les Kiss's forward strategy says Canham and Salakaia-Loto will start alongside one another at Test level for the first time. Both have previously played together for the Queensland Reds. Kiss has placed Williams on the blindside and selected Rob Valetini among the reserves, creating a different balance between starting size and finishing options. These are confirmed selection choices; whether they improve Australia's set piece is still unknown.
In Rugby Australia's November 7 profile of Canham, the lock's height is given as 2.02 meters. The report also highlights his three-try performance against Italy earlier in the competition. This background explains the attention on Australia's second row without treating previous performances as a prediction for Sunday. For England, Itoje and Alex Coles start in the second row and Ollie Chessum begins at blindside flanker.
Scrum stability and reliable lineout ball may determine which side controls territory. England can introduce Genge, Stuart and Martin from the bench; Australia has Tupou, Kailea and Valetini available as replacements. Their actual impact will depend on game conditions, substitutions and discipline, none of which can be verified in advance.
Ben Curry and Fraser McReight could be important around the tackle area, while Fin Smith and Declan Meredith are tasked with directing attacks from fly-half. A fast breakdown would help the likes of Feyi-Waboso, Freeman, Suaalii and Jorgensen find space. That is a tactical preview based on the selected players, not an assertion that either side has a decisive advantage.
The competition brings six Northern Hemisphere and six Southern Hemisphere teams into a six-round cross-hemisphere schedule. Before this match, the official fixture page displays England with two wins and one defeat from July and Australia with one win and two defeats. The November rounds will help determine each team's ranking inside its hemisphere before Finals Weekend, scheduled for November 27–29, 2026, at Allianz Stadium in London. The organizer's format guide says the teams will be matched by their final hemisphere rankings.
England is also scheduled to play Japan and New Zealand in its remaining two November competition rounds. Australia's next scheduled competition opponents are Scotland and Wales. A win on Sunday would improve the winner's position, but no single Round 4 result alone determines the final table.
UK viewers can follow England's Nations Championship games via ITV; ITV's official rights statement confirms free-to-air coverage of every Nations Championship fixture on ITV and STV in the UK. The named England match announcement specifies ITV1 for England's fixtures. In Australia, Rugby Australia directs viewers to Stan Sport for the tournament. Coverage and streaming access depend on location and subscription requirements; viewers outside the UK and Australia should check their licensed regional broadcaster.
No result was confirmed at the November 7, 2026, 15:38 UTC check. The match is scheduled for November 8 and the official Nations Championship match center still marks it as upcoming. Once play takes place, use that match center or the World Rugby fixture record to verify the final score, tries, cards and result. No unplayed events or winning margin should be inferred from the lineups.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. London GMT (UTC+00:00) on Sunday, November 8, 2026, or 15:10 UTC. That is 2:10 a.m. AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne on Monday, November 9.
Maro Itoje captains England, Harry Wilson captains Australia, and Pierre Brousset is the appointed match referee.
No. At the November 7 verification time, the fixture was still upcoming. The result should only be reported after the official match center confirms it.
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