England boss Borthwick in spotlight as pay row looms over Australia

LONDON: England face Australia in the Nations Championship at Twickenham on Sunday in one of the most attractive clashes of the first round of November fixtures.

AFP Sport looks at three aspects surrounding an intriguing matchup between the old rivals:

England go all in on Borthwick

It is not unusual for coaches to be given a vote of confidence by their employers, but the Rugby Football Union have gone above and beyond with England boss Steve Borthwick.

This week RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney gave Borthwick his unequivocal backing to lead England at the 2027 World Cup.

Two months ago, the RFU extended Borthwick's contract until after the 2028 Six Nations, even though this year England lost four out of five matches in a single Championship for the first time in the tournament's history.

England have lost five of their last seven Tests, but Sweeney insisted: "We're committed to Steve. We believe in what he's doing.

"We had a difficult Six Nations this year, we accept that, but we just want to see continued progress and we're backing him to get that done."

Beale 'no passenger' despite absence v England

Kurtley Beale's long wait to return to Test action goes on after the veteran back was left out of Australia's match-day 23 to play England.

Beale was a surprise addition to Australia's touring squad after Hunter Paisami withdrew for personal reasons.

The 37-year-old has played 95 Tests but his last was in 2021.

"Well he's in the squad, so he was in the selection mix for sure," said Wallabies coach Les Kiss on Friday after naming his side to play England.

"Kurtley's totally aware that he is in the picture. He's not here as a passenger, that's for sure," added Kiss, who has selected Isaac Henry and Len Ikitau in midfield while keeping faith with Declan Meredith.

Contract dispute

Australia begin their European tour under the shadow of a pay row that threatens to cause a bitter dispute ahead of the World Cup on their home soil.

The Wallabies' two most recent Tests, where they conceded a combined 93 points in a pair of heavy defeats by New Zealand, were the last played under the previous collective bargaining agreement, struck between Rugby Australia and its players in 2023.

In April, RA declared "record operating surplus" of Aus $70 million (US $48 million) only two years on from posting an Aus $37 million deficit.

RA are set to receive a staging fee of some Aus $100 million from World Rugby for staging the 2027 World Cup.

But the underlying finances of Australian rugby remain precarious. They only get to host the Lions once every 12 years and it may be much longer before Australia stages another World Cup after 2027.

Australian male rugby union players are already paid considerably less than those in rugby league who play in the thriving NRL, the leading club competition in the 13-a-side code.

Kiss insisted the issue was not proving a distraction to his squad.

"All I know is that they're the right people in the room trying to find a solution, to find a win-win that can work and I'm just focused on getting the team right," he said.

"I've got to say the boys, they don't talk about it, they just focus on what the job is, which is pleasing." - AFP