Autumn internationals should pose no problems for England and Ireland, but trouble ahead for Wales and Scotland

Three wins from three is on the menu for Anglo-Irish fans, but Wales' gruelling schedule could leave Warren Gatland open to criticism if luck goes against them

Eddie Jones will believe his England side can claim three matches from three this autumn (Getty)

Eddie Jones will be the first to tell his England squad that he expects three wins from three this month, otherwise they can kiss any hope of winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup goodbye.

They take on three sides who, despite posing different threats across the board, they should expect to beat, and two of which they have done so inside the last year – the third being Samoa who England have never failed to beat.

An understrength England side travelled to Argentina last summer and returned with a 2-0 series victory in the bag and new talent blooded into the Test stage. Australia, meanwhile, have endured a torrid time against England since the 2015 Rugby World Cup, as Jones led the Red Rose to a first ever series whitewash against his home nation in the 2016 summer series before adding their scalp once again in the final autumn international that same year with a comprehensive 38-21 victory.

The form points to a smooth English autumn, but that should also go for Ireland. Joe Schmidt’s side have, like England, taken a tactical approach to the autumn internationals that sees them play three Tests against sides who they are certainly capable of beating.

South Africa are slowly getting back to the levels that they have not seen since the last World Cup, but Ireland are still a better side and, with the Aviva Stadium behind them, should see off the Springboks. Fiji will not be a walk in the park, but Ireland have a strong second string and Schmidt is unlikely to completely rotate his side for the encounter with the Pacific Islanders given the valuable time that he can spend developing the squad as the next World Cup moves closer into view. The Irish wrap up their campaign against the Pumas, which will be a close game and could again depend on home advantage.

While the picture looks rosy for Anglo-Irish hopes, it looks much bleaker on the Welsh and Scottish front, and it could end up that they do well to come out of the autumn with two victories between them.

Rory Best will lead Ireland again this autumn (Getty)

Wales are the only home nation that will embark on four Tests this autumn – a hard enough schedule on its own – but their campaign is compounded by the fact that they face Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the space of four weeks, with Georgia squeezed into the middle on the second weekend.

Given that they have three extremely difficult matches on their hands, Wales are unlikely to go into all of them at full strength, meaning that a second string side is almost certain to take on Georgia on 18 November to allow those who faced the Wallabies an extra week’s preparation before they face the All Blacks. Having never beaten New Zealand before, and having not avoided defeat against Australia in their 12 matches in a run that stretches back to November 2008, Gatland’s side will want end that hoodoo if they are to have any chance of living up to the coach’s claim that they can challenge for the World Cup in 2019.

Warren Gatland oversees Wales training on Tuesday (REX)

The odds suggest that Wales will go into their final autumn international against South Africa on 2 December having suffered two defeats – and if they do rest all of their starting line-up against Georgia it could even be three – meaning that the final Test will take on a huge deal of importance to ensure that the autumn does not turn into a disaster.

As for Scotland, their schedule is one that could throw up a surprise either way. Under head coach Gregor Townsend, the Scots will unleash an eye-catching attacking style that has held them in good stead in recent times, not least the Rugby World Cup quarter-final two years ago when they could easily have beaten the Wallabies had it not been for the most hated referee in Scotland, Jerome Garces.

Gregor Townsend will take charge of his first autumn international campaign (Getty)

Australia visit Murrayfield on the 25 November off the back of their trips to Cardiff and London and, without star full-back Israel Folau and with one eye on their holidays that begins the very next day, Scotland have a genuine chance of an upset. That could also come a week earlier when the All Blacks travel to Edinburgh, and while the prospect of a Scottish victory is unprecedented one, the Scots have been waiting for three years for their chance at the reigning world champions to come around.

Townsend’s side open up their account against Samoa that should help them to put a victory on the board early, and while it’s all good and well hoping for an upset win in one of the two other Tests, the smart money says otherwise.