England’s Lions contingent will have an early chance to gloat or gain revenge over their Wallaby counterparts in the aftermath of next summer’s tour Down Under.
Britain and Ireland’s elite head south for their first adventure in Australia since 2001 and a number of Stuart Lancaster’s side will hope to be involved on the big stage.
And for those Englishmen that do taste victory or defeat on a grand scale in June and July, they won’t have to wait long to go head-to-head with the Wallabies once more.
Australia will travel to Twickenham on November 2 for the first game of their European tour as they look for a repeat of their hard-fought success earlier this month.
The Wallabies won 20-14 a fortnight ago as they bounced back from their pounding in Paris to remind the Lions exactly what they’re capable of.
England will look to put that defeat to bed in the opening match of their autumn series in 2013 after they announced a hat-trick of games next November.
Lancaster’s men will also face Argentina before closing the campaign against the All Blacks, just as they do later today.
England’s head coach is convinced facing the best teams in the world in 2012 has already benefitted his squad and he’s looking forward to more of the same in 2013.
"We have gone head to head with the best teams in the southern hemisphere at Twickenham," said Lancaster.
"In the process, we have learnt a lot about our players and what is required to perform at the very top level of international rugby.
"We are looking forward to meeting Australia and New Zealand again next November and welcoming Argentina to Twickenham for the first time since 2009."
That 2009 encounter with the Pumas ended in a 16-9 success for a Martin Johnson coached England outfit, although it was the Argentines who won the same fixture three years earlier.
England produced one of their most memorable recent performances in beating the Wallabies at HQ two years ago but they haven’t tasted success against the All Blacks for a full decade.
England’s autumn internationals in 2013
Australia – Saturday, November 2
Argentina – Saturday, November 9
New Zealand – Saturday, November 16
