Welcome back to the Ruck, the journalist's rugby podcast from The Times and the Sunday Times, coming to you once again, as we always do through international periods on a Thursday, team news day for England as we look ahead to the weekend. Loads to get into as ever. I'm Alfie Reynolds alongside me once again at the England training base. Alex Lowe, alright Alex? Hello, good, yeah. Loads to talk about in this England team. It's just like last week, isn't it? Where once again, there's loads to unpack, I think, in the England squad. Yeah.

And also joining us back by Popular. Hello, good, yeah, loads to talk about in this England team. It's just like last week, isn't it? Where once again, there's loads to unpack, I think, give me England squad.

Yeah.

And also joining us back by popular demand, I'm going to say, Elgin Alderman. How are you, Erg? You received the emails from my mum and dad, I see. Good, yes, first time on to the Women's Rugby World Cup. Very refreshed. I say refreshed. I've been driving all over Wales the last few days, which readers of the Times will be able to read about very soon. But yes, re-energized by a day here at Penny Hill Park.

Tell us what you've done in Wales. So with Wales coming up against Argentina, obviously the WIU have been meeting with representatives of the four regions this week hanging over this autumn campaign. The news that the plan, not quite two teams like they suggested,

but possibly going down to three teams from four by 2027. So that's hanging over again,

everything Wales are doing. So I've just been driving around. I've been up to Baller in North Wales. I've been to Landovri and Lennesse, been to Cardiff as well, just to hear from some people at the grassroots level, because that's where Wales are really going to turn it around. Lots of talented players, but they don't quite make it up to the top. When you've got such a small country, you really can't be as inefficiently run as Wales has for the past 30 years when they've been reckoning with so many questions. So just try to add a bit of grassroots meat to the bone And hopefully there's some stuff in there for people to consider

Special report from Wales. Sounds good. Yeah, I look forward to reading it. Good one for the expense department at the Times as well. I'd imagine that one when they receive all of those. We'll come on to Wales, Argentina. Massive game for Wales as they kick off their autumn campaign. Also on France,

South Africa, Elgin's going to be there in Paris on Saturday night. Let's start off with

England Fiji though. So we're up here at the England training base. They've named their match day

23 to take on Fiji. Seven changes from the team that beat the wallabies. You've got Mara Toge on the bench. So Ellis Genge is going to be leading the team from the start. Finn Smith is at Fly Half. Chandler Cunningham South starts at eight. We'll get into all those different bits and bobs. Alex, what interests you the most when you look at this England team?

There's a few different areas that interest me. I mean, the one which we didn't discuss before we hit record, Alphe, is Fraser Dungwell was now Vice Captain of England for this week, which is a sort of snuck up, I think, probably on him as much as anyone else. There's two or three really interesting areas. I think Charlie Cunning himself, starting at 8 for the first time in a test match, he's been a mainstay of Borthwick

teams. He likes his, his dynamism, his physicality, he's like, he's such a aggressive

carrier and a rapidly improving lineout forward. When Tom Willis announced he was leaving

Saracens to go to Bordeaux Begler and Borthwick decided to drop him

immediately from the England squad because he's unavailable for the Six Nations for the World Cup.

It was costing England their first choice number eight, but they're really the only one,

the only ball carrier who is proven as a number eight in tight areas, like fighting through

those tight quarters as a carrier.

And that's what Charlie Cunning South has been picked to do in this game.

Emika Ileone is another player who both that really likes, who carries in a similar way,

injured his shoulder just before the autumn.

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