It is about eight months since England’s men last trod the Twickenham turf, a long gap between hit-outs on home soil. That performance against Ireland will carry few happy memories for Steve Borthwick’s squad – not that there is any conscious effort to right the wrongs. “If we’re going to sit and stew over a game eight months ago, we’re in f***** trouble,” a surprisingly spiky Richard Wigglesworth, the senior assistant coach, remarked this week.

Still, England would be wise to reflect on their failings in that game. While there was plenty to learn from a lean Six Nations, it was that showing in the 42-21 defeat that most disappointed Borthwick and his selection, falling so far short of where they needed to be. It was at the breakdown where Ireland beasted them particularly, and in the two red zones especially: Andy Farrell’s side won 14 turnovers and limited England to just 1.3 points per 22 entry.

England’s difficulty at the breakdown was striking given their selection. That game remains Henry Pollock’s only start at Test level; a back row of he, Tom Curry and Ben Earl should have provided plenty of ruck menace. But, perhaps, Borthwick was guilty of a redundancy of skillset. While Pollock and Earl are enterprising and prolific carriers, neither is a consistent resourcer of rucks; Curry, too, per Opta hit just 11.7 rucks per 80 minutes for Sale across the last Prem campaign, less than half that of Guy Pepper, a significant absentee for this campaign. That may be partly to do with Bath’s multi-phase preference, and also Curry’s usage as an edge forward in attack.

But against Ireland, England lacked big bodies in the tight exchanges, and found themselves bedevilled by Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris, Dan Sheehan and Josh van der Flier. It is notable that Borthwick, even with Pepper and Tom Curry injured, has not elected to pair Earl and Pollock again – the pair perhaps better dovetail in the second half, when the game loses some structure and each can use their athleticism to collect a volume of carries. Since his installation on the blindside for the France game in March, Ollie Chessum has provided better balance around the park and more variety at the lineout from which to launch. The inclusion of Ben Curry, who returns for a first England appearance since July 2025, provides the side with perhaps their best pure jackaller – even if his twin brother’s ability to steal time and bodies with ruck hustle will be missed.

One of the challenges that Curry and the rest will face is stepping up from the Prem to Test level, where the brekadown is much more hotly contested. Borthwick and Wigglesworth have noted the difficulties England have had adapting this year, including the Prem clubs in the recent round of Champions Cup action. Making smart choices of when, and how, to compete will be key, too, as they seek to address the discipline problems of this year.

“There seems to be a little bit more allowance for a competition there,” Earl explained this week. “And I guess on the flip side of the coin, when you're attacking, you have to be prepared for a contest. You can sometimes find yourself in the league going into a breakdown, and once you're there and you've cleared someone out, that's it. Whereas in Tests people get another bite of the cherry, which I think is good. I think the increased competition is a really good thing. If anything, I know that I can push the envelope a little bit more. However, on the flip side, the consequence is higher.

“You have to remind yourself that that's coming both ways. It’s not necessarily like a massive shift. It's just like, okay, you remember you can get away with a little bit more, but so can others. So you just have to be super aware.”

It is French referee Pierre Brousset, who oversaw most of that Ireland game after injury to Andrea Piardi, in charge on Sunday. England will have to be on their guard against a team like Australia. According to Opta, all of Fraser McReight, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Tom Hooper were in the top 12 for defensive ruck arrivals worldwide during the last club campaign – it is significant that the latter two are absent this weekend. But McReight, recently rewarded with the John Eales Medal as the Wallabies’ player of the year, wins more breakdown snaffles than just about anyone at Test level, and Carlo Tizzano is another outstanding operator in their matchday 23.

New Zealand, though, showed that they can be neutralised in the two-match Bledisloe Cup series last month. With their violence in carry and cleanout, and variety in phase play, the All Blacks kept Australian hands off their breakdown ball. The selection of Jeremy Williams, like Chessum a long-limbed lock by trade, on the blindside perhaps suggests a desire to match England in a different way.

“The ability of the All Blacks to be really quick with the ball and their really fast breakdown put us under pressure through our movement speed," the prop Angus Bell admitted. “They were excellent at that, and that's where we struggled, and that's something that we've implemented at training to get better at. We didn't learn the lessons from the first Test match, and then they exposed us on the other ones in the second.”