Wales are under significant pressure to deliver a convincing win against Japan in Saturday's autumn Nations Championship opener, according to former fly-half Dan Biggar, while England have been forced to make changes after two scrum-halves were ruled out of their match against Australia.
Biggar: Wales Must Start Well
Speaking to ITV Sport, Biggar said Wales face a "really big game" and are "under so much pressure to win that game." He noted that head coach Steve Tandy has improved the side from "not beating anybody for 18 months" to a level where they are beating Italy, Fiji and Japan, which he described as "almost like a pass mark."
Wales face Japan, New Zealand and Australia this month in the second segment of the Nations Championship. Biggar described the Japan match as the one Wales would want first, adding that the All Blacks clash is more of a "free hit," while a result against Australia could be targeted.
"It is a fascinating encounter, because if Wales could choose one of the games, against Australia, against New Zealand or Japan they are going to want Japan up first," he said. He added that Japan are "well organised, well coached, will not give them anything and will scrap for absolutely everything."
Scotland Lose Two Players
Scotland have confirmed that Jamie Ritchie and Elliot Millar Mills have been ruled out of their Nations Championship squad after suffering knee injuries at the weekend. Edinburgh trio Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Freddy Douglas and D'arcy Rae have been called into the squad.
Flanker Ritchie went off early in his second appearance for Glasgow, with head coach Franco Smith expecting him to be out for about four weeks. The 30-year-old has had a difficult 2026, missing the rest of the Guinness Six Nations after a knee injury in February and Scotland's summer matches after an ankle problem in May. He lasted only eight minutes of Glasgow's 29-20 win over Lions in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
Prop Millar Mills suffered a leg injury just four minutes into Newcastle's defeat by Saracens on Saturday. Uncapped Blyth-Lafferty, 20, adds cover at tighthead, while Douglas covers openside and Rae returns from a calf injury. Warriors full-back Josh McKay will join the squad this week as he rehabilitates from a hamstring injury, and Sale scrum-half Gus Warr will train with the squad.
England Half-Back Disruption
Alex Mitchell and Archie McParland have been ruled out of Sunday's autumn opener against Australia. Mitchell damaged his hamstring while playing for Northampton against Gloucester on Saturday and is to undergo a scan, while McParland missed the 28-14 victory because of a calf issue sustained during England's training camp last week.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has called up Ben Spencer and Harry Randall to fill the vacancies in his 36-man squad. Spencer is three games into his comeback from shoulder surgery for Bath, while Randall has been an ever-present for Bristol this season. Both are competing to support Leicester's Jack van Poortvliet, who reclaimed the number nine jersey during the summer.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Seb Atkinson have been promoted into the squad after proving their fitness from hamstring and knee problems respectively, with Noah Caluori and Max Ojomoh dropping out. Rookie hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu has withdrawn due to a knee injury, with Theo Dan coming in as his replacement.
First-choice fly-half Fin Smith is being given until Wednesday to prove his fitness from a calf strain, with George Ford, Marcus Smith and Charlie Atkinson the alternatives. England face Australia on Sunday, followed by Japan and New Zealand on successive Saturdays before the Nations Championship's finals weekend on 27-29.
"These fixtures take on added significance this autumn as they represent our final opportunity to face southern hemisphere opposition before next year's World Cup," Borthwick said. "Facing Australia next Sunday is an exciting challenge. They have played a significant amount of Test rugby in recent months and we know the quality and experience they will bring."
