Fin Smith faces a race against time to be fit for England’s autumn opener Australia , but his midfield colleague Benhard Janse van Rensburg will play no part in the campaign.

Head coach Steve Borthwick has revealed Smith will be given until Wednesday to recover from the calf strain sustained on Northampton duty against Leicester on Saturday.

If England’s first-choice fly-half is ruled out, then George Ford or Marcus Smith will be installed as chief conductor for the Wallabies’ visit to Allianz Stadium on November 8.

“Fin has made good progress over the last couple of days and we’re hopeful of his availability against Australia, but that remains unclear at this stage,” Borthwick said.

Fin Smith has been England’s first choice fly-half for the last five Tests (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)

The outlook on Janse van Rensburg is less positive, with the Bristol centre being stood down from full rugby duties indefinitely.

Van Rensburg has received two significant concussions in his last three games, the…