Lions legend Graham Price predicts exact scoreline of Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland autumn Tests

The autumn campaign is upon us, a feast of rugby awaits.

And whichever way you look at it, teams from the home unions, and the touring giants from the southern hemisphere, have major points to prove.

Several fixtures already stand out as must-watch matches during the course of the month with questions to ask and answers required.

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England versus New Zealand, a mouthwatering showdown which kicks everything off this weekend. Can Steve Borthwick’s men go one step further after two losses Down Under on their summer tour just gone?

They should have won the first Test, but ended up losing by a single point in the end. They were leading in the second game, only for Beauden Barrett to come on as a replacement and snatch the game away. Will it be third time lucky for England?

Ireland versus New Zealand. Andy Farrell’s men have a decent record over the men in black in recent years. This is their opportunity to ensure they stay ahead of them in the world rankings and continue the huge strides made under their coach.

Wales v Australia. Like England, Warren Gatland’s men were defeated 2-0 on their summer tour. Back at the Principality Stadium this is their chance for revenge and to end the horror losing sequence they have been on.

The Wallabies have since had a poor Rugby Championship. Will it be Wales, or Australia, who address the woeful run of results?

Extra motivation for Australia, if they were to need it, is to become more competitive with the Lions tour in mind. We want to see a successful Lions, but their predecessors always have been made to work hard for their wins. We need Australia to be strong opposition to maintain the credibility of the Lions tour concept, so how they fare versus each of the home unions will be fascinating.

England v South Africa: A clash of titans. The Springboks have beaten England twice in the last two World Cups. Can the Red Rose gain some sort of revenge?

Read Danny Care's expert verdict on how England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will fare as part of our brilliant 48-page Autumn Internationals preview special. Order your copy here

There are standout matches every week and I will be among those glued to the TV screen to witness how it unfolds.

For Wales, these autumn Tests will be the first since the summer losses to Australia and South Africa, part of a nine-match losing streak with the problems that come with such an awful run - lack of confidence, lack of match practice, not knowing what our best team is and not really having a discernible game plan.

Wales have not won a Test since being at the World Cup 12 months ago. As such it’s a tall order for key players like Jac Morgan, Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe, who have been in rehabilitation, to return and immediately recover something like the sort of form that we were used to seeing when they were at their absolute best. That could be wishful thinking, but we can but hope.

At least, unlike Taulupe Faletau and Josh Adams, they are available again. That in itself, and making a valid contribution to the team effort, will hopefully be sufficient to lift us out of our current malaise.

Anscombe’s return is significant. Ireland, England and Scotland have settled choices at No 10 in Jack Crowley, Marcus Smith and Finn Russell. Having an established outside-half is a fundamental part of the rebuilding process, which the home unions are undertaking between World Cups.

Yet going into the autumn who will Gatland turn to? Will it be Ben Thomas, who started the summer Tests in Australia? Or Sam Costelow? Or does the more experienced Anscombe get the nod?

Not having any idea what our best team is, or what our game plan is, has been holding us back since Gatland took back the reins, in my view.

Winning the first game against Fiji will be crucial. Gatland has to get the team pointed in the right direction, setting the trend for us to give South Africa a much better game than we were able to a few months ago, and to beat Australia which is another must-win game.

Wales head into the autumn immediately below Australia and Fiji in the world rankings, two teams who just completed their respective rugby competitions and therefore in the UK will arrive fully match-hardened.

Warning time then. The Wallabies may have had their troubles in the Rugby Championship, but they will be targeting our game, knowing they have already beaten Wales twice this year. And Fiji, as England found to their cost, can beat anyone on their day.

They are must-win matches for Gatland if Wales are to start climbing those rankings again, into a much more respectable position than we currently occupy.

England were in a similar position to Wales in the season leading up to the World Cup, with having to change their coach so close to the tournament. However, Borthwick has made a better fist of the job at hand than Gatland.

He reached the World Cup semi-finals and, although England lost on their summer tour they did push New Zealand to the brink. I have no doubt that they will continue to build this autumn.

The big problem for England is they have the All Blacks again first up, straight from playing in the Rugby Championship, which means they will be more battle-hardened and ready for a big Test match in front of a sellout and expectant crowd.

It wasn’t a brilliant tournament by New Zealand standards, they were beaten twice by South Africa and even at home by Argentina. However, Scott Robertson’s men did recover to overcome Australia twice and as recently as Saturday thumped Japan by 60 points in Yokohama.

They will be more ready than England to hit the ground running and consequently I can’t see Borthwick’s team being as close to victory again as they were in the summer, even with home advantage this time.

Australia, who appear to have taken over from the Pumas as the whipping team of the Rugby Championship, are next up which should give England some respite before they lock horns again with the world champion Springboks.

It’s a tough schedule of back-to-back games, but at least Japan are their final opponents which will give their peripheral players an opportunity.

Ireland’s rebuilding has been gradual. Most notably, the transition after the retirement of Johnny Sexton has been successful. You’re not going to achieve a like-for-like replacement of a player of Sexton’s calibre but Crowley seems to have settled in quite nicely and the team has continued to function and flourish without their talisman of more than a decade.

A successful summer tour, which included a win against South Africa on their own turf and thus enabled Ireland to draw 1-1, plus the fact that they are currently number one in the rankings, stands testimony to the success post-Sexton.

Ireland will play New Zealand in their first game, knowing they have a history of being able to beat the men in black and I think they will do so again, before completing an autumn clean sweep with further wins over Argentina, Fiji and Australia.

Not only do I anticipate four wins from four, the last three games will give Ireland the opportunity to continue with their rebuilding process and give greater Test-match experience to some of the younger players Andy Farrell has brought through.

As for Scotland, they were unbeaten on their four-Test tour of the Americas this summer, albeit that is unsurprising given the nature of the weaker opposition. Compared to the other home unions, Scotland had an easier task.

It gave them the opportunity to give 10 new players their debuts as part of the rebuilding under Gregor Townsend. The autumn internationals will provide sterner opponents, including South Africa, but in Fiji and Australia Scotland meet teams who are just below them in rankings and they will want to ensure they retain that position.

The traditional tours undertaken by the home unions this summer could be the last of their kind, with the Lions heading to Australia in 2025 and the Nations Championship set to begin in 2026.

Typically these tours, and the autumn Tests, have been used as various stages of the rebuilding and evolving which forms part of the four-year cycle between World Cups. The autumn games are considered in the same way. There is a lot at stake.

With top-level sport nothing is certain, who would make predictions, eh? However, having been asked to gaze into my crystal ball, this is how I forecast the games going…

WEEK 1

England 19-30 New Zealand.

Borthwick’s men will be meeting match-hardened opponents and I don’t think there will be a repeat of the first Test on their summer tour when they were within sight of victory, before losing.

Scotland 27-15 Fiji

This is going to be a heck of a game, particularly for the neutrals who love running rugby.

WEEK 2

Ireland 25-21 New Zealand

Farrell’s men seem to have developed a pattern of beating rugby’s traditional powerhouses. They are number one in the rankings and I expect them to do just enough to stay there.

England 30-18 Australia

England will be too powerful and put the Wallabies in their place.

Wales 30-26 Fiji

This is a must-win game for Gatland. Accuse me of wishful thinking if you like but I can see us winning - albeit with a few scares on the way.

Scotland 16-27 v South Africa

Expect the world champions to demonstrate why they are also the southern hemisphere champions this year. They’ll be too powerful, up front and behind.

WEEK 3

Ireland 28-18 Argentina

The Pumas recorded superb wins over South Africa and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship, but they’ll be facing an Irish side in Dublin on a high.

Scotland 41-5 Portugal

Scoreline could be anything really as Townsend puts out a development side.

England 20-28 South Africa

I just can’t see England winning this one, even on their own patch.

Wales 28-25 Australia

It’s another must-win game - for Wales and the Wallabies. Retribution for the two losses for Gatland Down Under this summer and another small step back up the ladder.

WEEK 4

Ireland 32-12 Fiji

A comfortable win and an opportunity to try a few players out.

Wales 18-33 South Africa

The Springboks will be too powerful for Wales, underlining the two teams’ respective positions in the rankings.

Scotland 30-15 Australia

Another very entertaining Murrayfield game, but Scotland to edge it as the much more settled side.

England 36-15 Japan

A development game for Borthwick and his team - and a comfortable win, whatever the margin.

WEEK 5

Ireland 35-15 Australia

The men in green will simply have too much for the men in gold.