Nations Championship Round 4 Preview: Scotland Host the All Blacks, England Meet Australia at Twickenham

The Nations Championship, the new biennial competition that folds the July tours and the November internationals into one table, resumes on Friday night in Dublin and runs through six tests by Sunday afternoon. The northern sides have been playing club rugby since July. The southern sides have just finished a Rugby Championship and, in New Zealand's case, a week in Edinburgh nobody will forget. Here is the weekend, with every kick-off in GMT.

Ireland open against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday 6 November at 20:10. Saturday brings Italy v South Africa in Turin at 11:40, Scotland v New Zealand at Murrayfield at 14:10, Wales v Japan in Cardiff at 16:40 and France v Fiji in Lyon at 20:10. England and Australia close the round at Twickenham on Sunday 8 November at 15:10, Rugby World's guide confirms. In the UK every match is free-to-air on ITV, and in Ireland on Virgin Media.

Who is in the England squad to face Australia?

Steve Borthwick named a 36-player squad on Monday that assembled at Pennyhill Park the same day, and the scrum-half position is where the damage is. Alex Mitchell is out with the hamstring he hurt at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday, Archie McParland is out with a calf problem from the training camp, and Ben Spencer and Harry Randall come in alongside Jack van Poortvliet, ESPN reported. Hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu has withdrawn with a knee injury and Theo Dan replaces him. Fin Smith missed the camp with a calf strain and has until Wednesday to prove he can start at fly-half; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Seb Atkinson have been promoted after passing fitness tests.

Maro Itoje leads a group that lost 45-21 to South Africa, beat Fiji 73-8 and edged Argentina 31-24 in July. Borthwick's stated worry is the gap between the Prem and test rugby at the breakdown and in discipline: England have collected 15 yellow cards in eight tests this year, he told Sky Sports. Australia, now coached by Les Kiss with Harry Wilson as captain, bring a 33-player squad that includes recalled Taniela Tupou and Tom Hooper and two uncapped players in Teddy Wilson and Tom Lambert, with Will Skelton among those unavailable.

Scotland v New Zealand and the Springboks in Turin

Scotland start the November leg a single point behind France at the top of the northern table, and Gregor Townsend has had to reshuffle. Elliot Millar Mills and Jamie Ritchie are injured, and three Edinburgh players have been added: uncapped 20-year-old tighthead Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, flanker Freddy Douglas and prop D'Arcy Rae. Sione Tuipulotu captains a 37-man group that includes Finn Russell, Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and Huw Jones. New Zealand, level with South Africa on 15 points in the south, are preparing under the shadow of the sudden death of their head of security, Logan Cadwallader, at the team hotel on Sunday.