The England lock Steve Borthwick escaped with a one-week ban last night for his part in the injury-time fracas involving Bath and Newcastle players at the Recreation Ground earlier this month.
Borthwick, among the second-row forwards vying for a place in Andy Robinson's starting pack for the autumn internationals, was cited on video evidence for punching but a three-man Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel in Coventry chaired by Richard Moon opted against imposing a lengthy suspension.
The 24-year-old Borthwick, therefore, will be missing from Bath's line-up for only their next Zurich Premiership game, at Harlequins this weekend. In contrast the Falcons' young No8 Phil Dowson, sent off for throwing a punch in the same melee, will be available to face Gloucester at Kingsholm after the panel decided not to extend the one-week suspension already imposed by his club.
The current state of flux in English rugby was brought sharply into focus yesterday when Australia named all but one of their World Cup final starting line-up in a 28-man squad for their tour of Europe which concludes with a Test at Twickenham on November 28.
Injuries and retirements have ensured England will be unable to field more than half the 22-man squad that secured the Webb Ellis trophy in Sydney last November, but the Wallabies will be back in force with the exception of the Queensland lock Nathan Sharpe, who is staying at home to rest a shoulder injury. The only newcomers in the squad are the 20-year-old Queensland utility back Drew Mitchell and the 22-year-old loose forward Stephen Hoiles.
Australia have appointed the former centre Tim Horan as a selector, working alongside the chief coach Eddie Jones and Brett Robinson. The former Orrell and Rotherham coach Ross Reynolds will be the team's lineout consultant.
The BBC has said it put "no pressure" on Matt Dawson to miss England training on Monday in order to appear on A Question of Sport. It said the producers would have happily drafted in a guest stand-in for Dawson had the scrum-half asked to be released.
· Newcastle's former All Black centre Mark Mayerhofler will be out of action until November after breaking a leg against Harlequins on Sunday.
Australia
Backs: Latham, Rogers, Gerrard, Rathbone, Sailor, Tuqiri, Mortlock, Mitchell, Flatley, Giteau, Larkham, Gregan (capt), Whitaker.
Forwards: Cannon, Paul, Baxter, Dunning, Henderson, Young, Chisholm, Harrison, Vickerman, Hoiles, Samo, Smith, Waugh, Lyons, Roe.
