Autumn internationals Week 3: Rugby team news, how to watch

The first full week of autumn internationals did not disappoint, with upsets, dramatic finishes and a dominant display from the southern hemisphere sides. New Zealand condemned Ireland to their first defeat at home since 2021, Australia mounted a thrilling comeback to stun England, and South Africa's form continued, beating Scotland. 

Fiji provided the upset of the round with a 24-19 win over Wales in Cardiff.

The next round of games promises more excitement, with pressure mounting on the northern sides to turn their fortunes around. 

Here's everything you need to know including team news, how to watch and match previews.

Ireland vs. Argentina

Time:  Friday, Nov. 15 at 8.10 p.m. UK (7.10 a.m. Saturday AEDT)

Stadium: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

How to watch: TNT Sports/ discovery+

 Ireland: Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain), Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Crowly, James Lowe, Robbit Henshaw, Garry Ringrose, Mach Hansen, Hugo Keenan.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.

 Argentina: Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya (captain), Joel Sclavi, Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo, Gonzalo Bertranou, Tomas Albornoz, Bautista Delguy, Matias Moroni, Lucio Cinti, Rodrigo Isgro, Juan Cruz Mallia.

Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.

Team news: Ireland coach Andy Farrell made just one change for Friday's test against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium, handing his tried and tested players a chance to make amends for a rare ragged performance against New Zealand last week.

The 23-13 loss to the All Blacks was the back-to-back Six Nations champions' third defeat in five games with the lack of attacking intent, poor discipline and litany of errors just as disappointing as the relinquishing of a 19-game unbeaten run.

The only change to face a dangerous Argentina side coming off the back of a solid Rugby Championship sees Robbie Henshaw replacing Bundee Aki at centre, where he will partner Garry Ringrose. The three have long competed for the two spots.

"It's been a tricky few days. We reviewed the game yesterday and started to turn the page and look forward to this Friday, because it's another huge challenge," captain Caelan Doris told Virgin Media television.

There are four changes among the replacements after a disappointing impact off the bench last week contributed to Ireland's failure to score in the last 36 minutes. The Leinster duo of prop Thomas Clarkson and highly touted fly-half Sam Prendergast are in line for their debuts.

Elsewhere on the bench and on the other end of the spectrum, 37-year-old prop Cian Healy will join Brian O'Driscoll as Ireland's most capped player if he comes on to make his 133rd appearance.

Healy, who made his Irish debut 15 years ago, has already made more European Champions Cup appearances than any other club player and became Leinster's most capped player last month.

For Argentina, Pablo Mateira returns to the side, with the 105 Test veteran coming in to the back row after serving a one match suspension. Guido Petti starts at lock with Franco Molina dropped to the bench.

Santiago Carreras has been added to the bench after overcoming a calf injury which forced him to miss the win over Italy last week. Uncapped centre Justo Piccardo is set to make his debut off the bench.

Match prediction: Ireland suffered a defeat against the All Blacks last weekend, but alarm bells should they not get back to winning ways on Friday night. Argentina have a recent track record of upsetting the odds, most notably a 38-30 victory over New Zealand in August. It's hard to predict against Ireland in this one, though. Ireland by 10 -- Connor O'Halloran

Scotland vs. Portugal:

Time: Saturday Nov. 16 at 3.10 p.m. UK (2.10 a.m. Sunday AEDT)

Stadium: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

How to watch: TNT Sports/ discovery+

 Scotland: Jamie Bhatti, Patrick Harrison, Will Hurd, Alex Craig, Alex Samuel, Luke Crosbie, Ben Muncaster, Josh Bayliss, George Horne, Adam Hastings, Arron Reed, Stafford McDowall (captain), Rory Hutchinson, Darcy Graham, Tom Jordan.

Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Elliot Millar Mills, Ewan Johnson, Freddy Douglas, Jamie Dobie, Matt Currie, Kyle Rowe.

Portugal: David Costa, Luka Begic, Diogo Hasse Ferrerira, Jose Maderira, Duarte Torgal, Andre Cunha, Nicolas Martins, Frederico Couto, Samuel Marques, Domingos Cabral, Lucas Martins, Tomas Appelton (captain), Jose Lima, Raffaele Storti, Simoa Bento. 

Replacements: Abel Cunha, Perdo Vincente, Antonio Prim, Antonio R. Andrade, Vasco Bapsita, Antonio Campos, Hugo Aubry, Manuel Cardoso Pinto. 

Team news: Scotland have made wholesale changes to their team, with Stafford McDowall to captain the side, which has two new caps, and fullback Tom Jordan the only player from last week's starting lineup to keep his place.

Winger Darcy Graham returns to side for the match at Murrayfield after a concussion ruled him out of the defeat to South Africa last week.

He scored four tries in the 57-17 win over Fiji at Murrayfield at the start of the month, where he briefly equalled the record for the most tries for Scotland only to see Duhan van der Merwe reclaim the mark later in the game.

Now he has a chance to overtake the 29-try haul as Van der Merwe is one of the 14 players making way after Scotland lost 32-15 to South Africa last Sunday.

For Portugal, the match presents another opportunity for them to test themselves against an elite nation. The side produced a strong effort against the U.S. last week. David Costa and Luke Begic keep their places in the front-row, while Diogo Hasse Ferreira comes into the starting side. Samuel Marquez comes into the side to start at scrumhalf. 

Match prediction: While Scotland have made a host of changes, there's plenty of players who will be looking to push their case for more game time with Australia next week and the Six Nations early next year. Keep an eye on winger Darcy Graham, who is making his way back from injury and will look to overtake teammate Duhan van der Merwe as Scotland's all time top try scorer. Van der Merwe, who has been left out of the squad, is on 29, with Graham on 28. The two will be battling it out for the record for the foreseeable future, and Graham has the chance to increase his tally on Saturday. Scotland by 42 - James Regan. 

England vs. South Africa

Time: Saturday Nov. 16 at 5.40 p.m. UK (4.40 a.m. Sunday AEDT)

Stadium: Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London

How to watch: TNT Sports/ discovery+

England: Ellis Genge, Jamie George (captain), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl, Jack van Poortvliet, Marcus Smith, Ollie Sleightholme, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman, Freddie Steward.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Tom Roebuck.

 South Africa: Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Wilco Louw, Eben Etzebeth, Rg Snyman, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams, Maine Libbok, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian De Allende, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Aphelele Fassi.

Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenkamp, Vincent Koch, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am. 

Team news: England have made four changes, with Freddie Steward, Ollie Sleightholme, Jack van Poortvliet and Sam Underhill all starting.

Two of those changes are injury-enforced with Tom Curry and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sidelined after sustaining knocks against Australia, while Ben Spencer and George Furbank have been dropped. There is a further change to the bench with Tom Roebuck named.

Meanwhile, South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has selected an almost entirely different starting 15 to the one that beat Scotland last week, with 12 changes to the side to face England.

He has parked the infamous 7-1 split on the bench, instead favouring a 5-3 split.

Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Eben Etzebeth keep their places, while the rest of the team has changed. Captain Siya Kolisi returns to the back row, while the electric Cheslin Kolbe starts on the wing in an entirely new backline. Maine Libbok will steer the side from fly-half, while Grant Williams starts at scrum-half.

Match prediction: So form and logic points to one winner: South Africa. The Boks have won the Rugby Championship and picked apart Scotland last weekend, winning 32-15 and four tries to nil in the process. But then... there's something weird that seems to happen in this weekend. Chris Ashton, the former England winger, referenced this earlier in the week, about how this feels like 2012 all over again.

Back then England lost to South Africa and Australia and then faced the All Blacks. They were underdogs, and swiped New Zealand aside, winning 38-21. Form and logic went out the window. And you can't help but feel that after England were the wrong side of the post from beating New Zealand and a botched restart from beating Australia, that luck simply has to fall on their side. Which is why, despite everything pointing to a Boks win, I am backing England by 2 - Tom Hamilton. 

France vs. New Zealand

Time: Saturday Nov. 16 at 8.10 p.m. UK (7.10 a.m. Sunday AEDT)

Stadium: Stade de France, Paris

How to watch: TNT Sports/ discovery+

 France: Jean-Baptise Gros, Peato Mauvaka, Tevita Tatafu, Thibaud Flament, Emmanuel Meafou, Paul Boudehen, Alexandre Roumat, Gregory Alldritt, Antoine Dupont (captain), Tomas Ramos, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Yoram Moefana, Gael Fickou, Gabin Villiere, Romain Buros. 

Replacements: Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi, George-Henri Colombe, Romain Taofifenua, Mickael Guillard, Charles Ollivon, Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton.

New Zealand: Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor, Tyrel Lomax, Scott Barrett (captain), Tupou Vaa'i, Samipeni Finau, Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi, Cam Roigard, Beauden Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan.

Replacements: Asafo Aumua, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Pasilio Tosi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Peter Lakai, Cortez Ratima, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie.

Team news: New Zealand's Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor have returned to the side, having recovered after concussion forced them off against England two weeks ago.

The pair have successfully completed head injury assessment protocols and were included in the team named on Thursday, but a knock suffered by former captain Sam Cane means he is out of the lineup after the All Blacks edged Ireland last Friday.

In all there are five changes to the starting side from the Test in Dublin which they won 23-13.

Barrett takes over from Damian McKenzie at fly-half while Taylor replaces Asafgo Aumua at hooker.

Cane's concussion means a shift in the loose forward trio for the Stade de France clash with Wallace Sititi moving back to No . 8, Ardie Savea going onto the open side of the scrum where Cane played last week and Samipeni Finau coming in on the blindside.

Match prediction: This is shaping up to be a really intriguing clash. While New Zealand are two from two this November, they have been below their own high standards, particularly around unforced errors and general sloppy mistakes. They'll see this weekend as a chance to tidy those up and Scott Robertson will be looking to finish the year on a high by beating the top three northern hemisphere sides.

Meanwhile France are a bit of an unknown quantity, having only played Japan this autumn. Antoine Dupont is back in the fold after missing the Six Nations, and his impact can't be underestimated. France have also won the last two Tests against New Zealand. France by 7 - James Regan.

Italy vs. Georgia

Time: Sunday Nov. 17 at 1.40 p.m. UK ( 12.40 a.m. Monday AEDT)

Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa

How to watch: TNT Sports/ discovery+

 Italy: Matt Gallagher, Jacopo Trulla, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Monty Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Alessandro Garbisi, Ross Vintcent, Michele Lamaro (captain), Sebastian Negri, Dino Lamb, Niccolo Cannone, Simone Ferrari, Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fischetti.

Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Mirco Spagnolo, Pietro Ceccarelli, Riccardo Favretto, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Fusco, Leonardo Marin, Giulio Bertaccini.

Georgia: Nika Abuladze, Vano Karkadze, Irakli Aptsiauri, Mikheil Babunashvili, Giorgi Javakhia, Ilia Spanderashvili, Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Tornike Jalagonia, Vasil Lobzhanidze (captain), Luka Matkava, Alexander Todua, Tornike Kakhoidze, Giorgi Kveseladze, Aka Tabutsadze, Davit Niniashvili.

Replacements: Luka Nioradze, Giorgi Akhaladze, Luka Japaridze, Lado Chachanidze, Luka Ivanishvili, Gela Aprasidze, Tedo Abzhandadze, Demuri Tapladze.

Team news: Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada has made eight changes from the side which lost to Argentina last weekend, with Matt Gallagher replacing Ange Capuozzo at fullback.

Argentina ran out 50-18 winners last Saturday in Udine, and while three of Quesada's changes are due to injury, the coach has decided to shake things up, especially in the front row.

Capuozzo left the action after six minutes against Argentina with a head injury, and with the fullback ruled out for the Georgia game due to the head injury assessment protocols, Gallagher comes in to earn his second cap.

Ross Vintcent replaces Lorenzo Cannone after the number eight suffered a nasal fracture against Argentina, while lock Dino Lamb comes in for Federico Ruzza who went off with a rib injury in that defeat.

Match prediction: Italy were blown away by Argentina last weekend, although Georgia should not be quite so formidable. You would expect Italy to get back on track this weekend before taking on New Zealand in Rome later this month. Italy by 15 -- Connor O'Halloran

Wales vs. Australia

Time: Sunday Nov. 17 at 4.10 p.m. UK (3.10 a.m. Monday AEDT)

Stadium: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

How to watch: TNT Sports / discovery+

 Wales: Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake (captain),  Archie Griffin, Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, James Botham, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright, Ellis Bevan, Gareth Anscombe, Blair Murray, Ben Thomas, Max Llewellyn, Tom Rogers, Cameron Winnett. 

Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Keiron Assiratti, Christ Tshiunza, Tommy Reffell, Rhodri Williams, Sam Costelow, Eddie James, Kieran Hardy.

Team news: Wales are without scrum-half Tomos Williams for the match against Australia with a shoulder injury. Ellis Bevan starts in the No. 9 jersey. Tom Rogers will start on the wing, with Mason Grady dropping out of the squad after suffering an ankle injury  against Fiji. In the forwards, James Botham and Jac Morgan start with Aaron Wainwright in the back row, while Tommy Reffell drops to the bench. Taine Plumtree has been left out of Warren Gatland's squad. 

 Australia: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Samu Kerevi, Max Jorgensen, Noah Lolesio, Nic White, Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Seru Uru, Will Skelton, Nick Frost, Allan Alaalatoa (captain), Matt Faessler, Angus Bell.

Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Zane Nonggorr, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Joseph Suaalii.

Team news: Lock Will Skelton and prop Allan Alaalatoa return to the starting line-up to face Wales as new centre Joseph Suaalii drops to the bench for the clash in Cardiff on Sunday.

Australia are looking to build on their 42-37 victory over England at Twickenham as they go up against a Welsh side who have lost 10 matches in a row and who they beat twice on home soil in July.

Captain for this week Alaalatoa comes into the side for Taniela Tupou, while Skelton replaces Jeremy Williams.

With skipper Harry Wilson out due to concussion protocols, Rob Valetini moves to his more familiar No. 8 position, with Seru Uru joining Fraser McReight for his first test start among the loose forwards.

Valetini will earn a 50th cap having only missed two tests since 2020.

Nick Frost is alongside Skelton in the second row, while Alaalatoa packs down with fellow prop Angus Bell and hooker Matt Faessler.

Experienced scrum-half Nic White replaces Jake Gordon, with Noah Lolesio keeping his place at fly-half.

Samu Kerevi, who also plays in his 50th test, comes into the midfield to partner Len Ikitau, who moves from inside to outside centre with rugby league convert Suaalii dropping to the bench despite an impressive debut in London.

Max Jorgensen, scorer of the winning try at Twickenham, gets a start ahead of ⁠Dylan Pietsch, with Andrew Kellaway on the other wing and Tom Wright at fullback.

"Last week's Test was fast-paced and physical and we've brought in some freshness for what's going to be another bruising encounter in Cardiff," Australia coach Joe Schmidt said.

Match prediction: Wales just can't get a win at the moment. These are bleak times for Welsh rugby, and the arrival of a buzzing Austrlia side is unlikely to thrust them into action. There are clear signs of talent among the Welsh ranks, but whether it is enough to defeat Australia is a different matter. The now-infamous losing streak will extend to 11 games on Sunday if Wales fail to must a victory. It looks unlikely.  Australia by 10 -- Connor O'Halloran.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.

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