Prep time for Wallabies a challenge – Borthwick

England head coach Steve Borthwick says his players have tried to make most of limited preparation time for their Test against a comparatively battle-hardened Australia. Steve Borthwick won 57 caps for England as a player between 2001 and 2010 England coach Steve Borthwick says his players have tried to make most of limited preparation time for their Test against a comparatively battle-hardened Australia. Borthwick has just finished working with his squad during a three-day training camp before they return to their club sides on Wednesday. England face Australia in their opening match of this autumn's Nations Championship campaign at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on Sunday, 8 November. While England must balance their international preparations with the demands of the Premiership season, the Wallabies have much more time to focus on forthcoming matches.

Australia have played 10 Tests since July, including matches against South Africa and New Zealand. "It's a case of doing more of less," Borthwick told BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones. "Identifying the clear priorities and chasing them and not being side-tracked, not deviating from that. "I think this is one of the challenges, particularly balancing the different stakeholders [the clubs and the national set-up]." England's preparations have also been affected by the Prem schedule, with players involved in Sunday's fixtures having less time for full squad training.