Preview: England vs Australia
The tournament hosts are currently third in Pool A, seven points behind Wales and three behind Australia who are both unbeaten. Wales took a giant step towards qualification for the play-offs wih their win over Fiji on Thursday
England's loss to a spirited Welsh outfit last weekend has made the clash with the Wallabies at Twickenham a must-win if they want to have any future in this competition. A loss against the two-time champions will make them the first host nation to go out at the group stage of a World Cup.
England and Australia have met five times before at the World Cup with England three of those matches. Some of those games have been the most memorable in World Cup history.
These two teams have contested two World Cup Finals in the past. In 1991 Australia won their first World Cup with a 12-6 win over England in the Final at Twickenham. England had to wait another 12 years to get another shot in a Final and again it was against the Aussies. On that occasion a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal in extra time helped the English to their maiden title in Sydney.
Saturday's game promises to be another classic between the two teams as there is so much at stake, particularly for England.
Stuart Lancaster has stuck with much of the same side that did battle against Wales with just a few changes. The most notable change sees Jonathan Joseph join Bradley Barritt in the midfield at the expense of Sam Burgess.
Lancaster knows what his side is capable and he is confident they can bounce back after that Wales' defeat.
"We respect the quality of the opposition we are playing against, but we've beaten them [Australia] in the last two games," said Lancaster.
"It reminds me of the week after we lost to South Africa [in 2012] and then beat New Zealand.
"Getting over a defeat and then turning the next performance into a victory – we've done it before and I'm 100 percent confident we can do it again."
Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika is looking for an inspired performance by his forwards to show the English that they can compete upfront.
Cheika, who has turned round the Wallabies in less than a year after a troubled term under Ewen McKenzie, gave short shrift to provocative statements from England No.8 Ben Morgan, who said he and his fellow pack members would expose the Aussie scrum.
"I know they think we're weak in the forwards. It’s pretty obvious that they're saying it out loud," said Cheika, who guided Australia to the Rugby Championship title in August, including a remarkable 27-19 win over the All Blacks.
"They've done it to us, they've stuck it to us the last couple of times so there's nothing we can say in our room that's going to make any difference.
"The only place things are going to be different is on the field on Saturday night and that's where we've got to show our colours.
"Talk's cheap, you know."
Cheika also refuted the idea that Australia's heart-breaking defeat in the 2003 World Cup Final in Sydney is a motivating factor to beat the English.
"That would be the wrong reason to be playing the game," said Cheika.
"Anything we are doing here is for us.
"When you go through 80 minutes of warfare – or our version of it – you need bigger motivations than that.
"That motivation can go away in a heartbeat as soon as one thing goes wrong. Motivations have to be from deep inside."
Players to watch:
For England: Jonathan Joseph at outside centre gives England some potency on attack, while Mike Brown is a dangerous runner with the ball when given space. Jonny May proved to many that he can be a classy international wing with his pace, while Brad Barritt will be key on defence for the home side. In the forwards, Ben Morgan is a highly physical player and will have an important role to get his team over the gain line.
For Australia: Israel Folau is probably Australia's best attacking weapon at the moment with his ability to slice open defences. He is also good under the high ball and can find some decent distances with his kicks. Matt Giteau is a master tactician and will also take some of the pressure off flyhalf Bernard Foley. David Pocock is a try-scoring machine from the back of the maul and his work rate around the park is phenomenal, while partner in crime Michael Hooper will win his team plenty of possession on the ground.
Head to head: Mike brown and Israel Folau are two of the world's best attacking fullbacks and both will be looking to outshine the other. The two pivots, Owen Farrell and Bernard Foley, are similar players when it comes to playing style – this game will be a close one and goal kicking might well decide the winner of the game. The battle of the two No.8s should be an intriguing on. Ben Morgan is a physical and abrasive player who looks forward to the collisions, while Pocock is still new to the position and still plays like an openside flank in open play.
Recent results:
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
2007: England won 12-10, Marseille (World Cup quarterfinal)
2006: Australia won 43-18, Melbourne
2006: Australia won 34-3, Sydney
2005: England won 25-16, London.
Prediction: It is a close one to call with lot at stake for the home side. Expect England to get their World Cup campaign back on track and win by five points.
Teams:
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Nick Easter, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 George Ford, 23 Sam Burgess.
Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Dean Mumm, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Kurtley Beale.
Date: Saturday, October 3
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 20.00 (19.00 GMT; 6:00 AEST Sunday, October 4)
Expected weather: Partly cloudy with a slight breeze and a high of 17.
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
@rugby365com & AFP
