The form England XV to face Australia based on PREM stats

With five rounds of the Gallagher PREM played, we already have a feel for the players who will dominate the stats as the season progresses.

Now that the attention turns to the Autumn Nations Series, those stats may come in handy for Steve Borthwick as he compiles his matchday squads over the coming weeks.

So here is an England XV comprised purely of members of the 36-man squad who have produced the best numbers in the opening five weeks of the season.

Obviously, this puts British & Irish Lions players at a disadvantage as they did not play in the opening two rounds, more so Tom Curry, who has not run out for Sale Sharks this season but is fit for England.

Then again, England may look to manage the workload of the Lions players, meaning a squad resembling this one could well feature at some point over the next month. But cream always rises to the top, and the Lions are still well-represented in this England XV.

Fixture

Internationals

England

25 - 7

Full-time

Australia

All Stats and Data

England Stat-Based XV

1. Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
In a category largely dominated by back-rows, the 23-year-old Baxter has made the most tackles for a prop this season with 67. That is joint-seventh on the list, with only one tackle fewer than Tom Willis.

2. Theo Dan (Saracens)
Of all England’s options at hooker, Dan has won the most lineouts, with 36. However, the stat that stands out is the number of defenders he has beaten, 16 in five rounds, which is the twelfth most, but second most for a forward, with only Willis ahead of him.

3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks) 
When comparing the three tighthead options England have, Opoku-Fordjour beats both Will Stuart and Joe Heyes, with the superior carries per minute, 0.09, and tackles per minute, 0.17, though Stuart has the greatest tackle success rate, 88 per cent.

4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Despite only playing two rounds, England captain Itoje has won an impressive five turnovers, which is joint-seventh most in the PREM.

5. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
With 58 tackles already this season, joint-14th most, only two England squad members have bettered Coles’ output, Baxter and Jack Kenningham.

6. Guy Pepper (Bath)
Bath’s jackaling supremo Pepper has produced five turnovers in four appearances this season, level with Itoje with the joint-seventh most.

7. Jack Kenningham (Harlequins)
The uncapped Kenningham is a top-performer in two categories, joining Itoje and Pepper with five turnovers, but also putting in 71 tackles this season – the most from any player in the England squad.

8. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Lions tourists Earl and Henry Pollock are not top-performers in any categories, but they make for a fascinating statistical comparison. In terms of output, Earl beats Pollock, making 36 tackles to Pollock’s 20, and 34 carries to the 20-year-old’s 22. But in terms of quality either side of the ball, Pollock wins hands down. He has two line breaks to Earl’s one, has carried 111 metres to 83, has beaten four defenders compared to two, has won two turnovers compared to one and has made four dominant tackles compared to zero. Does Borthwick choose quantity or quality? Tight call, but we’ve gone for quality.

9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Once again, neither Mitchell nor Ben Spencer ranks too highly in any category (other than passes, where they are more or less identical), but when comparing the two players, Mitchell clearly poses the greater attacking threat. The Saints No.9 has made 26 carries compared to seven, made two line breaks compared to zero, beaten four defenders compared to zero and carried 101 metres compared to eight metres. This has come despite missing the first two matches of the season after the Lions.

10. George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Not only has Ford scored the third most points this season, but he has also made the most passes for a player that isn’t a scrum-half, showing he is shouldering the play-making responsibilities at Sale, as Leicester found out at the weekend.

11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
The stats king this season. Feyi-Waboso stands alone with the most tries, seven, and the most clean breaks, 14, has gained the second most metres, 450 metres, and is in the top ten for defenders beaten.

12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath)
Back from injury this season, Lawrence has already beaten 18 defenders in four appearances, which is the tenth-most.

13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
The leading point scorer this season with 70, and also the joint-third highest try-scorer with five tries, Slade has started the season like a house on fire.

14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
Both Noah Caluori’s and Tom Roebuck’s stats are decent this year, but Freeman just shades them, boosted by the fact that he only joined the action in round three. Joint-second for clean breaks, 13, has the fifth-most metres gained, 383 metres, and is joint-third for tries, five.

15. Henry Arundell (Bath)
Back in the PREM after two years, the stats look very favourably upon the 22-year-old Arundell. The third most metres gained this season, 430 metres, second most clean breaks, 13, third most defenders beaten, 23, and only seven players have scored more than his four tries.