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Just occasionally even the world’s best rugby players are genuinely taken aback. In mid-September, Maro Itoje, recuperating from his British & Irish Lions exertions, stood and watched an England training session and could not believe the pace, intensity and all-round zip on view. “I was thinking: ‘Wow, I need to get back in the gym, I need to make sure I come back quickly,’” he admitted this week.
Itoje says his former teammate Mako Vunipola was just as impressed – “He didn’t remember it being that fast” – on a visit to England’s base in Bagshot the other day. Another recent retiree, the England scrum-half Danny Care, felt similarly. All of which has been fuelling Itoje’s growing belief, with the 2027 Rugby World Cup on the horizon, that “there’s no mountain we can’t climb”.
It also adds an extra frisson to an upcoming autumn series already rich with possibility. Find a way past Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina on successive weekends and England could extend their winning sequence to 11 games since losing to Ireland in Dublin in February. By the time the World Cup pool draw is made on 3 December it could be that several of their rivals are looking anxiously over their shoulders.
The alternative scenario is that England, currently fifth in the world rankings, continue to repeat their familiar trick of flattering only to deceive. Remember last year’s dramatic 42-37 defeat by the Wallabies and Max Jorgensen sprinting away down the left touchline to secure victory late on for the visitors? Or the frustrating losing margins of two points and nine points respectively against New Zealand and South Africa?
It is not impossible history could repeat itself. Australia have been improving and have arrived battle-hardened from the Rugby Championship with seven of the pack who started last year’s corresponding fixture. As they showed on the Lions tour, particularly in the final Test in Sydney, they are a more cohesive side under Joe Schmidt and also beat the Springboks in Johannesburg in August.
Yet, even with standards rising around them, there are signs that England are now getting their wildfowl in a row. The snap and crackle that Itoje noticed in early-season training has been maintained, as has the joie de vivre of the squad’s upbeat summer tour to Argentina and the United States. And when it comes to youthful Red Rose talent the cupboard is increasingly well stocked, albeit more so in certain positions than others.
Take a look down their squad list, for example, and ponder the collective abilities of Tommy Freeman, Henry Pollock, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Noah Caluori, Fin Smith, Guy Pepper, Fin Baxter, Tom Roebuck, Henry Arundell, Freddie Steward and Emeka Ilione, all aged 24 or under. If they stay fit it is not hard to see half a dozen of them winning 100 caps for their country and collecting a decent amount of silverware en route.
The 22-year-old Pepper is definitely one to watch: the son of the former Harlequins and England B forward Martin, Pepper is rapidly emerging as a back-rower of serious class and intent. His move to Bath from Newcastle has worked out nicely for him and his first Twickenham start for England is destined to be the first of many. “I’ve been really impressed by him,” Itoje stressed this week. “Not only is he a very good player but it’s his mentality to want to get better. That will put him in good stead for years to come.”
In company with the salty Pollock – his on-field irritant schtick is not to all tastes – Ben Earl, Sam Underhill and Tom Curry, there is certainly no shortage of breakdown energy and dynamism, if not enormous bulk. This might just permit England, when the mood takes them, to maintain a relentless tempo and run teams off their feet in the latter stages of games
A strong final quarter is definitely part of Saturday’s plan, much thought having gone into finding ways to transform last year’s narrow reverses into wins. With six Lions on the bench – there is a song lyric in there somewhere – including perhaps their most unyielding front row, it could well be that Australia will require a decent early lead.
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In that respect the Lions experience of Itoje and others should also come in handy against slightly diluted opposition. Without Will Skelton, Len Ikitau, Tom Hooper and James O’Connor – unavailable because the game falls outside the official November international “window” – Australia do not pose as muscular a threat. Carter Gordon, newly back from rugby league, is also not yet fully ready to return in the all-important No 10 position.
This particular autumn, though, will ultimately be defined by whether England can fulfil their own potential. Itoje, first and foremost, wants his side to be unashamedly physical. “Rugby is a game of aggression. Generally speaking, the most physical team tends to win,” he said. “The onus is on us to really show what we’re about and the type of team we want to be. I believe at our best we’re an incredibly physical team. We need to put that on the table.”
There is also an understanding that success breeds success. Just as England’s 2003 World Cup winners beat all-comers in the preceding couple of years, so the northern wannabes need to ruffle a few southern feathers this month. “As a squad we want to do really well in 2027,” Itoje said. “But you don’t just rock up to a World Cup and win. Often a World Cup is a reflection of your [previous] body of work.”
A big game beckons for the seasoned George Ford, picked ahead of Fin and Marcus Smith at fly-half, with the next few weeks also psychologically important for Steve Borthwick’s wider project. “I think we can,” said Itoje when asked if England were targeting a November clean sweep. “There’s not a team we’re playing who I don’t think we can beat. We want to win all our games. Every player should definitely aspire to that. Our fans should expect us to have that mindset.”
And having touched rare heights with the Lions, Itoje is not about to lower his sights now he is back in a white jersey. “I’ve been fortunate enough to win a few trophies in my career and when you win one, the feeling of ecstasy is so severe that it’s a bit like a drug. You want some more of it.”
England remain a work in progress but their time could just be approaching.
