These are the rugby stories making headlines on Saturday, November 7.

These are your headlines on the morning of Saturday, November 7.

Angry England players speak out

England’s senior players have rallied around Steve Borthwick in response to claims that his squad sought clear-the-air talks during the summer in protest about a toxic environment.

Borthwick, England’s head coach for the past four years, rejects the accusations made in a newspaper article highlighting unrest at his management style that came to a head during the build-up to the final match of the July tour against Argentina.

It is alleged that players objected to his treatment of them, that he was involved in a training ground bust-up with prop Ellis Genge and that they wanted Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney to hear their grievances.

A meeting did take place, but it was held virtually after the tour.

Borthwick said: “I don’t recognise it as being an accurate reflection of the environment.

“I don’t recognise it as being an accurate reflection of relationships between me and the players, between the coaches and players.”

England open the second phase of the Nations Championship when Australia visit Allianz Stadium on Sunday and Jamie George insists his team-mates are ready to prove they are fully behind their head coach.

George, who was captain for the July tour, said: “This is galvanising, 100 per cent. We are incredibly tight and when someone comes at one of our own, we are going to fight to protect them.

“Leading into the weekend, we cannot wait to represent Steve in the most positive way because we’re going to show how much we care about him.

“He’s one of our own. He’s someone we respect massively. He’s someone that as I said has our backing wholeheartedly.

“I’m incredibly disappointed by this. There’s a lot of it that’s untrue. It’s clearly trying to create a divide within the group. Unlucky.

“The mood in camp in July was good on the whole. There are always going to be disagreements – in life, in rugby, in professional sport. There are always going to be heated moments.

“But ultimately we all knew that everyone has the best interests of the team at heart. It wasn’t a straightforward journey for us in the summer, that’s for sure.

“But equally for it to be said that there was a toxic environment and a negative environment – that’s just not true, hand on heart.”

Maro Itoje was rested for the summer tour but will lead England into Sunday’s showdown having been restored to the second row.

Itoje and his lieutenants George, Genge and George Ford called a team meeting at the squad’s Surrey training base on Thursday to discuss the claims that had been made.

He said: “I’m little bit shocked because it’s not what I recognise. The framing of it I think is wrong and I don’t think is correct.

“I can wholeheartedly say Steve has not lost the faith of us players. We back him 100 per cent alongside all the other coaches.”

Ollie Chessum, who is regarded as a future England captain, joined George and Itoje in backing Borthwick.

Chessum said: “There is a real intention to divide a team here but I’ll tell you now it’s going to have the adverse effect on Sunday afternoon.

“The relationship between the playing squad as a whole and the management is great. It’s a happy camp.”

Full-back George Furbank, prop Fin Smith, Itoje and openside Ben Curry are the new faces in England’s starting XV as Borthwick made four changes against Australia.

Beard released

Adam Beard has been released from the Wales squad and will start for club side Montpellier today.

Beard wasn't named in the 23 to face Japan at the Principality Stadium and will instead feature against Lyon this afternoon.

Wales released Josh Adams last week to get minutes under his belt for Cardiff against Ospreys, with the same tactic likely reserved for former Ospreys man Beard.

Steve Tandy has selected Dafydd Jenkins and Ben Carter as his second row options against the Brave Blossoms.

Teddy Williams has been named among the replacements.

Lake: We've learned from hard lessons

Wales captain Dewi Lake insists his squad has taken some hard lessons away from a sobering summer Nations Championship campaign and they are ready to hit the ground running as international rugby returns to Cardiff.

Steve Tandy’s men are back in action today, looking to bounce back following a turbulent summer window that began with a solid win over Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium before difficult defeats in Argentina and South Africa.

However, the Gloucester hooker believes the pain of those defeats has acted as a vital catalyst for growth ahead of a demanding autumn block featuring matches against Japan, New Zealand and Australia at the Principality Stadium.

“Personally, for me, this is the best start to a campaign we’ve had in a long time,” Lake said.

“The level of competition and the way we are challenging each other on and off the field – we’ve grown from campaign to campaign.

“We were disappointed with the summer, but if anything, that’s probably worked in our favour. We’ve come back in, grown, challenged each other, and hopefully the game will reflect this.”

Todat marks the fourth meeting between Wales and the Brave Blossoms in just 16 months. Eddie Jones’ side remain a dangerous proposition, wanting to become the first men's Japanese side to beat Wales in Cardiff.

With a win crucial for momentum, Lake is keeping his focus firmly on the process as opposed to the scoreboard.

“Look, I’d be happy to win,” Lake admitted. “The performance is important to us, but I don’t think the margin of winning really matters.

“I’m sure everybody is going to be hoping for a win, but for us, it’s about building on performances.”

Internal competition has been a major talking point in the Welsh camp this week.

“There has been an intensity in training also from the boys not picked to play,” he added. “Everyone is hungry to play in the jersey and be a part of the team.

“The tension it has created in training, and the way it rubs off on each other, the standards continue to rise.

“That has been a massive growth for us.”

Swapping the Ospreys shirt for a Gloucester one this summer has provided Lake with a timely boost, joining a core group of Welsh players coming back to international duty on fine club form; the 27-year-old admits that arriving at this camp after having a taste of winning has its perks.

“Obviously, it does kind of make a little bit of difference when you’ve got that feeling of winning,” he explained. “You come in understanding maybe what it takes to win a bit more.

“But I think I get my confidence from the boys I’m playing with, from the people behind me, the people in the changing rooms, the staff. You get your confidence from the training week on how well you’ve prepared, and I think that doesn’t change whether you’re winning with club or not.”

Wales star reveals ‘tasty’ training sessions after selection

Wales back-rower Aaron Wainwright has revealed how fierce competition for places is fuelling some high-octane training sessions.

“Training’s been really sharp - with a little bit of heat surrounding the sessions, which is good,” Wainwright said. “I think that sort of drives the intent into the weekend. The mindset is that we have to start fast and really impose ourselves on the game on Saturday.”

“It was quite a tasty session,” the 29-year-old added, reflecting on training earlier in the week.

“There’s always a bit of disappointment with selection, so the boys were quite revved up,” he explained. “We did a couple of live carry and tackle drills, which had a little bit of bite to them. It’s good to get everyone involved in there.”

For Wainwright, competition in the Wales back row remains as fierce as ever. With several players battling for starting spots, nobody can afford to let their standards slip, and that rivalry is helping drive the squad forward.

“If you make a mistake or you’re not on your game, someone’s going to be chomping at your heels to come and take your jersey off you,” Wainwright explained. “The guys that aren’t involved have been really good at testing us. Like I said, there was a bit of a bite to training, and you need that. Those guys push you and make sure you’re on top of everything you need to be.”

The growing number of Wales players featuring in the Gallagher PREM has also brought an added edge to the international set-up, with Wainwright believing their form and experiences are helping raise standards across the squad.

“In terms of driving the intensity of training, a few guys have gone to the Prem and are playing really well,” Wainwright said. “You can see that we’re all trying to drive the same message and contribute towards that – just keeping on top of detail and keeping everyone accountable for the training and effort we’re putting in.”

With the tone set during a fiercely competitive week of training, Wales will now look to carry that intensity into Saturday’s clash with Japan at the Principality Stadium.