Preview: Australia v England
The world's second-ranked team were ambushed by the well-drilled and motivated Six Nations champions, going down 28-39 in Brisbane last week to be thrown into an unexpected do-or-die struggle if they are to take the series to a decider in Sydney.
Coach Michael Cheika reacted to the shock loss by making four changes, all of them in the forward pack which came off second best to physical England in Brisbane.
Veteran props Sekope Kepu and James Slipper, who gave the Australia scrum more solidity when they came on as replacements in the first Test, will start, with Sam Carter forming an inexperienced lock combination with Brumbies teammate Rory Arnold.
Lively flank Sean McMahon was named at No.8 as a replacement for the injured David Pocock.
"Based on last weekend's performance, we decided that we wanted some new combinations for Saturday's game," Cheika said.
Jones, the former Wallabies mentor and England's first foreign coach, late Thursday made two changes to the starting line-up bringing in George Ford at flyhalf and shifting Owen Farrell to inside centre.
Jack Nowell was another change on the wing with Marland Yarde eased out after scoring a try in the Brisbane series opener.
Jones said he was bracing for a strong Australian response.
"History shows that in the professional era the Wallabies have never lost the second Test," he said this week.
"If you look back at the 2001 Lions series, 2013 Lions series, the Wallabies have always bounced back.
"The extra pressure is going to come from ourselves. We want to win this series and we have got an opportunity on Saturday, so we will be as desperate as the Australians, even more desperate."
Jones got the better of Cheika, his old club teammate, in the opening Test with his mind games and also his tactics – executed to perfection by flyhalf Owen Farrell – as well as the work-rate and aggression of flankers James Haskell and Maro Itoje.
England's win was their first in Brisbane in five attempts and only their fourth in 18 internationals in Australia.
The Wallabies' task has got harder with the unavailability of star ball-poacher Pocock for the rest of the series with an eye injury, leaving Cheika without one of his main weapons at the breakdown.
Cheika expects improvement from his revamped team after playing their first international since losing to New Zealand in the World Cup at Twickenham last October, while England were battle-hardened from winning the Six Nations in March.
"It was our first one for seven months and we knew there'd be some things we wouldn't get right and I think we got a good handle on what we need to get right for Saturday," Cheika said.
There will also be a focus on the Wallabies' scrum after loosehead prop Scott Sio fell foul of French referee Romain Poite when he was sin-binned for repeated scrum infringements in Brisbane.
Sio, who played second-fiddle to England's wily Dan Cole in the scrum, paid the price and was dumped from the matchday squad by Cheika for Melbourne despite being one of Australia's stars at last year's World Cup.
South African Craig Joubert will officiate in the second Test and his rule interpretations will have a big say in the outcome of the match. The Wallabies have yet to lose a Test under Joubert, except against arch-rivals New Zealand.
Players to watch:
For Australia: Bernard Foley was fantastic with ball in hand in the first Test in Brisbane and he will again look to find holes in the English defence. Scott Fardy and Michael Hooper will be looking to up their game with David Pocock ruled out of the series. The back-row will test England at the breakdown. Captain and hooker Stephen Moore is able to inspire his teammates when he is on the front foot and he is also a demon on defence as well.
For England: George Ford and Owen Farrell have proven that they are a fantastic combination in that No.10 and No.12 channel. England got the best out of their attack when Ford was brought on the field in the first Test, with Farrell shifting to centre after starting the match at flyhalf. James Haskell was simply outstanding last weekend and will be looking to put in another robust performance in Melbourne. Lock Maro Itoje has improved with each game in an England jersey and his all-round performance will again be under the spotlight.
Head to head: With David Pocock gone, it will be interesting to see how Sean McMahon shapes up against the English in the No.8 jersey. Billy Vunipola had a good game for England last week at the back of the scrum and is a different player to McMahon. England prop Dane Cole gave Scott Sio a hard time in the scrums in the first Test. Michael Cheika will be needing James Slipper to at least try and match Cole in the set pierce. The battle at the breakdown will again be a big factor in this game and Michael Hooper and James Haskell will both be making the presence felt.
Recent results:
2016: England won 39-28, Brisbane
2015: Australia won 33-13, London (WC Pool match)
2014: England won 26-17, London
2013: England won 20-13, London
2012: Australia won 20-14, London
2010: England won 35-18, London
2010: England won 21-20, Sydney
2010: Australia won 27-17, Perth
2009: Australia won 18-9, London
2008: Australia won 28-14, London
Prediction: England looks the stronger and more settled of the two sides. The English also have a bit of momentum under Eddie Jones and are leading the series 1-0 after their victory last week. However, Australia will be fired up after that loss and will not want to lose two matches in a row against an old foe in front of their fans. Australia will win the second Test by five points.
Teams:
Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Toby Smith, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Dean Mumm, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Christian Leali'ifano, 23 Luke Morahan.
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 James Haskell, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley (captain), 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Jack Clifford, 22 Danny Care, 23 Elliot Daly.
Date: Saturday, June 18
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-off: 20.05 AEST (10.00 GMT; 11.00 BST)
Expected weather: It will be a chilly evening in Melbourne with a high of just 7. There will also be a slight breeze coming from the south.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
AFP & @rugby365com
