Winger Anthony Watson and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie will both miss England's autumn Tests through injury.

 

Bath winger Watson, 27, has a serious knee injury and is likely to be out for the entire rest of the season.

 

Cowan-Dickie, 28, withdrew after picking up an ankle injury in Exeter Chiefs' game against Wasps at the weekend.

 

England have named eight uncapped players in an inexperienced side for their autumn international against France on Saturday, 23 October.

 

Wigan Warriors' second-row John Bateman is the most capped player with just 16 for the match in Perpignan.

 

The match is being shown on the BBC and is part of a double header with England's women also playing France.

 

"There's a very positive mood in the camp, a great camaraderie," said head coach Shane Wane.

 

"The lads have trained well and we're ready to go. We have some outstanding leaders in the team, including John Bateman who'll be captain.

Two Wasps coaches have been banned for a week after being sent off during the home Premiership defeat by Exeter.

 

Scott Barrow and Pete Atkinson each admitted "conduct prejudicial to the interest of the game".

 

Backs transition coach Barrow backheeled the ball away from the pitch and then blocked an Exeter player trying to retrieve it.

 

Head of performance Atkinson was charged over comments made to match referee Wayne Barnes.

 

Wasps led 23-15 with 20 minutes to go at the Coventry Building Society Arena but tries by Sam Simmonds and Jonny Hill gave Chiefs victory.

England coach Craig Richards has handed debuts to York City Knights' Savannah Andrade and St Helens' Rachael Woosey for Saturday's Test against France.

 

Emily Rudge will captain the side in her 24th England appearance.

 

The match is being shown live on BBC Two (kick-off 12:00 BST) and is part of a double-header with England's men also playing in France (14:30).

England's Rugby Football Union hopes to bid to host the 2025 World Cup.

 

The 2014 winners' main rivals for the rights to host are likely to be France, with a decision expected in May 2022.

 

The RFU's plan involves staging the "best-attended women's Rugby World Cup ever" and the governing body aims to sell out Twickenham for the final after nationwide pool games.

 

In September, the RFU also confirmed its desire to bid for the 2031 edition of the men's tournament.

Gareth Anscombe will make his first Wales start since 2019 when they face New Zealand, the country of the fly-half's birth, in Cardiff on Saturday.

 

Anscombe, 30, has impressed for Ospreys after two years out with a knee injury.

 

There is also a first start for 21-year-old flanker Taine Basham in an all-Dragons back row alongside Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright.

Bath prop Beno Obano is facing a long spell on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in their defeat by Harlequins last week.

 

The England international, 27, is the second Bath player to suffer a serious knee injury this month after winger Anthony Watson was ruled out.

 

The club have not put a timescale on how long Obano will be out for.

Exeter launched a second-half fightback and then survived a late Gloucester assault to win 16-13 at Kingsholm.

 

Chiefs took an early six-point lead through two Harvey Skinner penalties.

 

Gloucester hooker Jack Singleton brought his side back into it with a try from a driving maul and two Adam Hastings penalties made it 13-6.

 

Alec Hepburn edged Exeter to within two points shortly after half-time before Will Witty bundled over for the vital score with 12 minutes to go.

New Zealand returned to the top of the world rankings with a seven-try demolition of a depleted Wales by 54-16.

Uncapped Australian-born back Mack Hansen has received a call-up to the Ireland squad after an impressive start to his Connacht career.

 

Hansen, 23, has scored four tries in his first five Connacht games after arriving from Super Rugby outfit the Brumbies during the summer.

 

He been been operating at wing this season but can also play at full-back.

 

Ireland face Japan on Saturday before further autumn games against New Zealand and Argentina.

Kyle Steyn became the first Scotland player to score four tries in a match for 26 years as Gregor Townsend's side opened their autumn series with a 10-try defeat of Tonga by 60-14 on Saturday.

A man has been banned from the Principality Stadium for life after running on to the pitch during Wales' match against South Africa on Saturday.

 

With the score 15-15, the 28-year-old entered the field in the 63rd minute and was tackled by stewards as Liam Williams was attempting to score.

 

The pitch invader was booed by the Cardiff crowd as he was taken off the field and ejected from the stadium.

 

World champions South Africa went on to win 23-18.

Ireland wing James Lowe is relishing the prospect of playing against some of his closest friends in Saturday's contest against his native New Zealand.

 

Lowe, 29, celebrated his international recall by scoring the opening try as Ireland thrashed Japan 60-5 in Saturday's autumn opener in Dublin.

 

The former Maori All Blacks player now hopes to retain his starting place for this weekend's Aviva Stadium game.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac will be facing a familiar opponent when Fiji arrive at the Principality Stadium this weekend.

 

Pivac coached the Fijians between 2004 and 2007 before later settling in Wales and taking over from Warren Gatland in 2019.

 

"They are a passionate rugby nation," said Pivac, 59.

 

"It's just a different culture and it was a fantastic experience living in another country.

Uncapped Sale prop Bevan Rodd, who also qualifies for Scotland, has been called into England's squad to face Australia in place of the isolating Joe Marler.

 

Rodd, 21, was born in Scotland but played for England at loosehead at age-grade level and a senior cap would commit him to Eddie Jones' side.

 

Rodd is picked in preference to Mako Vunipola, 30, who has 76 caps and was a British & Irish Lion in Tests in July.

 

England returned no new positive Covid-19 results in their latest tests.

England captain Owen Farrell and hooker Jamie George have been ruled out of Saturday's Test against South Africa.

 

Farrell (ankle) and George (knee) have withdrawn from the squad with injuries sustained in last Saturday's 32-15 win over Australia.

Australia captain Michael Hooper will miss the autumn international against Wales with prop James Slipper taking over the leadership role.

 

Hooper, 30, suffered a foot injury in the 32-15 defeat against England and is ruled out for the match in Cardiff.

 

Slipper has won 113 caps since making his Australia debut in 2010.

England captain Owen Farrell could miss the start of the Six Nations as he faces up to three months out following ankle surgery, Saracens have confirmed.

 

Farrell's club and country team-mate Jamie George will also be out until the end of January with a knee injury.

 

Both players were injured during England's win against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

Sale prop Bevan Rodd and Newcastle hooker Jamie Blamire start in a rookie England front row for Saturday's Test with world champions South Africa.

 

Prop Joe Marler, who will not train until Friday after isolating with Covid-19, is named on the bench, as is uncapped hooker Nic Dolly.

 

Joe Marchant is on the wing with Manu Tuilagi returning to the midfield.

 

Flanker Courtney Lawes captains the side at Twickenham in the absence of the injured Owen Farrell.

England must use Saturday's win over South Africa as a stepping stone to the next level says Danny Care.

 

A last-minute penalty from Marcus Smith helped England beat the world champions by a single point at Twickenham.

 

"It was an incredibly exciting performance but, without putting a dampener on it, they could easily have lost," Care told Rugby Union Weekly.