David Pocock has been named in Australia’s starting XV against England after recovering from a neck problem – just as their opponents’ head coach, Eddie Jones, predicted.
Dylan Hartley loses out to Jamie George in England XV for Australia
Pocock sat out training on Monday and did only light non-contact work on Tuesday, putting a large question mark over his participation in the final Test of their November series at Twickenham on Saturday. However the influential back-row passed a fitness test on Thursday and has been selected at No 8 by the Australia head coach, Michael Cheika.
Jones said on Monday: “I hear this every time we play Australia – Pocock’s not going to be fit – so when I heard it I thought: ‘Here we go again.’ You know those merry-go-rounds? It’s a bit like that.”
Kurtley Beale, who was among the replacements against Italy last weekend, drops out of the 23 altogether, while Israel Folau and Bernard Foley have both recovered from a stomach bug to be named in the starting XV. Foley will remain at inside-centre, meaning Matt Toomua continues in the fly-half role he assumed in Padua.