Argentina<\/p>\n
World ranking 6<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most frustrating side on the international circuit, capable of imperious and infuriating performances in equal measure. Their inconsistency is best summed up with a Rugby Championship campaign in which they lost their first match to New Zealand and Australia before winning the second. And they might have made it three in a row if their \u201chome\u201d fixture against South Africa<\/a> had not been at Twickenham. Still, when they are on song they have a back row and a backline to die for.<\/p>\n Travel is no longer a problem given almost all their frontline players are based in England or France and two wins from matches against Wales, Scotland and England would represent progress in so far as demonstrating that they can bring their ability to win on the road to the northern hemisphere. The scrum is an area in need of improvement but there is much to like about the side Felipe Contepomi has built and it is worth keeping an eye on the fly-half Ger\u00f3nimo Prisciantelli who looked assured on debut against the Springboks.<\/p>\n November fixtures Wales (Sun 9th), Scotland (Sun 16th), England (Sun 23rd)<\/p>\n Australia<\/p>\n World ranking 7<\/p>\n If last autumn was the campaign in which Joe Schmidt proved that reports of Australia\u2019s demise were premature, this can be the one that suggests they will be World Cup contenders. On reflection it was a strange Lions tour which took an eternity to get going, only to feel over before it started. At the time the Wallabies\u2019 late rally in the first Test felt less significant than it proved to be given how close they ran the Lions in Melbourne before sweeping them aside in Sydney. A first win in Johannesburg at Ellis Park in 62 years<\/a> ensures history will be kinder to this year\u2019s Lions and Schmidt has, if nothing else, restored belief among the Australian public.<\/p>\n He could do with his side shaking the habit of having mountains to climb and this summer has shown something that we already knew \u2013 just how influential power players like Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou and Rob Valenti can be. Carter Gordon\u2019s return gives rise to more optimism \u2013 they are in need of a No 10 around whom to build a side \u2013 with the World Cup approaching on the horizon and though Schmidt is hampered this November with restrictions on players based in England and France, another step forward by the Wallabies would be welcome.<\/p>\n November fixtures England (Sat 1st), Italy (Sat 8th), Ireland (Sat 15th), France (Sat 22nd)<\/p>\n Taniela Tupou (centre) will be among those out to upset England when the Wallabies play at Twickenham on Saturday. Photograph: Cameron Spencer\/Getty ImagesEngland<\/p>\n World ranking 5<\/p>\n We are approaching three years since Steve Borthwick\u2019s appointment and it can safely be said we are at the high point of his tenure to date. A Six Nations campaign that improved as the tournament wore on was followed by a mightily impressive series win in Argentina<\/a>. Taking the next step is a tricky one, however, with Borthwick having to reintegrate British & Irish Lions including the Northampton trio who came to form the core of his backline as well as his captain Maro Itoje.<\/p>\n The same could be said of Richard Wigglesworth who returns in a new role as defence coach and has no easy task considering how well England performed in that regard in Argentina. Borthwick still lacks depth at hooker, lock and inside-centre and whether he turns to Owen Farrell at any stage this season to address the latter will be fascinating.<\/p>\n For now, having been denied a week\u2019s preparation for the autumn, intrigue over who he hands the No 10 jersey to has been denied by expediency: George Ford keeps hold of it. Indeed, with a short run-up to England\u2019s opener against Australia, many of those who performed so well against the Pumas have been rewarded. It is the third game, against the All Blacks, where we might see something resembling what Sir Clive Woodward would always refer to as England\u2019s \u201cgun\u201d XV.<\/p>\n November fixtures Australia (Sat 1st), Fiji (Sat 8th), New Zealand (Sat 15th), Argentina (Sun 23rd)<\/p>\n France<\/p>\n World ranking 4<\/p>\n Antoine Dupont is not expected to make his comeback until late November at the earliest so will miss France\u2019s campaign but while the summer series in New Zealand ended in a 3-0 defeat, it served to highlight just how deep the talent pool goes considering how many players they were missing. The injury list has grown with fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and lock Romain Taofifenua pulling out after the weekend. Nolann Le Garrec is expected to wear the No 9 jersey in Dupont\u2019s absence while Esteban Capilla and Kalvin Gourgues are a couple of youngsters who will show that the production line is still going strong if they get their chance.<\/p>\n Micka\u00ebl Guillard, adept at lock or in the back row, returned from New Zealand with his reputation enhanced and Fabien Galthi\u00e9 will be targeting three wins from three against Australia, Fiji and South Africa. The match against Fiji will be worth a watch but their blockbuster against the Springboks, where revenge for their World Cup quarter-final defeat<\/a> is on the menu, is not to be missed. Expect both sides to name 7-1 benches in what promises to be the Test match of the year.<\/p>\n November fixtures South Africa (Sat 8th), Fiji (Sat 15th), Australia (Sat 22nd)<\/p>\n Ireland<\/p>\n World ranking 3<\/p>\n A lot appears to point to a difficult autumn for Ireland. Including additional call-ups they had 18 players on the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia, not to mention five coaches if we\u2019re including Johnny Sexton. In addition, Ireland struggled by their own admission last autumn given so many of their players had hardly played for their provinces.<\/p>\n Andy Farrell\u2019s side have a habit of confounding expectations and Caelan Doris\u2019s return is a huge plus point. But they lock horns with the southern hemisphere\u2019s big three in November and give up home advantage against the All Blacks, even if Chicago holds happy memories. A trying autumn that exposes a post-Lions hangover may expedite the injection of fresh blood that appeared to be needed after a Six Nations campaign that ran out of steam.<\/p>\n It also feels like a big month for Sam Prendergast, who will be desperate to show Farrell he is the heir to Sexton\u2019s throne at 10 despite his omission from the Lions squad. Their fixture against New Zealand catches the eye given it marks a return to Soldier Field but Ireland\u2019s recent matches with South Africa have been captivating and the Dublin meeting promises more of the same.<\/p>\n November fixtures New Zealand (Sat 1st), Japan (Sat 8th), South Africa (Sat 22nd)<\/p>\n Sam Prendergast is among those with a point to prove for Ireland, who start out against the All Blacks in Chicago on Saturday. Photograph: Dan Sheridan\/Inpho\/ShutterstockItaly<\/p>\n World ranking 10<\/p>\n It is likely to be another of those campaigns for Italy that shows the gap to the more established sides is still significant. There have been big wins in recent years and they currently hold the wood over Wales<\/a>, but Australia are fully expected to exact revenge for the 2022 defeat that precipitated Eddie Jones\u2019s second coming and South Africa are also visitors next month. A third match against Chile should at least bring some succour.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week’s action reviewed<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The summer began well enough with a record win over Namibia but a two-match series against the Springboks yielded one strong 40-minute showing and a 45-0 chastening defeat. The autumn may come too soon for Northampton\u2019s teenager Edoardo Todaro but he looks to be another eye-catching back to add to the Italian ranks.<\/p>\n November fixtures Australia (Sat 8th), South Africa (Sat 15th), Chile (Sat 22nd)<\/p>\n New Zealand<\/p>\n World ranking 2<\/p>\n It used to be an accusation of the All Blacks that they would peak between World Cups before flattering to deceive every four years but the increasing number of players taking overseas sabbaticals suggests the opposite. Richie Mo\u2019unga, whose return next year was recently announced, is the latest case in point. In the meantime, with Scott Robertson proving himself to be a conservative selector, the All Blacks give the impression of a side clinging on to their place in the world\u2019s top four, relying more than supporters would like on ageing players.<\/p>\n They were good enough to see off the Wallabies twice but with the wounds of the record defeat by South Africa<\/a> are still raw. In many ways, then, this autumn could be hugely significant for their 2027 World Cup chances. Cam Roigard has had his injury problems but he can tighten his grip on the No 9 jersey, Quinn Tupaea could establish himself as a regular starter while Peter Lakai is a back-rower to keep an eye on. History will tell us if Robertson has kept faith in the old guard for too long but again the All Blacks arrive with the look of a side raging against decline rather than as the standard bearers they were for so long.<\/p>\n November fixtures Ireland (Sat 1st), Scotland (Sat 8th), England (Sat 15th), Wales (Sat 22nd)<\/p>\n South Africa<\/p>\n World ranking 1<\/p>\n Back-to-back winners of the Rugby Championship for the first time in their history and once more they arrive in Europe as the southern hemisphere\u2019s leading light. The Springboks began their TRC campaign by throwing away a 22-0 lead against Australia \u2013 a performance that prompted widespread hand-wringing by supporters and was decried as \u201cdog shit\u201d by Rassie Erasmus. After beating Argentina at Twickenham<\/a> thanks in no small part to their mighty scrum, Erasmus was understandably as happy as a pig in the brown stuff but conceded that the Boks are still a team in transition.<\/p>\n On the evidence of their entire campaign he is right but South Africa are still able to find a gear that eludes their rivals, as demonstrated with the record victory in Wellington<\/a>. And in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu they have a fly-half who promises to take their game to greater heights. A bumper, five-match autumn schedule includes a reunion with Japan, 10 years on from the Brighton defeat<\/a>, and a mouthwatering clash with France in Paris.<\/p>\n November fixtures Japan (Sat 1st), France (Sat 8th), Italy (Sat 15th), Ireland (Sat 22), Wales (Sat 29)<\/p>\n Scotland<\/p>\n World ranking 8<\/p>\n It is an important autumn for Gregor Townsend because those who believe he has taken Scotland as far as he can will be quick to question his part-time consultancy role with Red Bull if things start to go sideways. On paper it is not the most challenging of campaigns with the USA and Tonga among the opponents but Scotland supporters will expect at least three wins with the All Blacks and Argentina the other opponents. A first ever win over the All Blacks would go some way to silencing Townsend\u2019s critics but continuing to give rookies more experience should be his top priority. After a nasty injury last season, this autumn could be the campaign in which Andy Onyeama-Christie shows his class on the international stage.<\/p>\n November fixtures USA (Sat 1st), New Zealand (Sat 8th), Argentina (Sun 16th), Tonga (Sun 23rd)<\/p>\n Gregor Townsend\u2019s Scotland should beat the USA and Tonga but will want to upset either Argentina or New Zealand at Murrayfield. Photograph: Jane Barlow\/PAWales<\/p>\n World ranking 12<\/p>\n