The Wallabies have been undercooked this season, but so has England. This will be an interesting tussle.

If ever England stood a chance against the Wallabies it will be on Saturday, but with injuries galore and a terrible season behind them, will England be able to do It?

My feeling is that it is going to be a close encounter, that the Wallabies will be smarting after a season against fellow Southern Hemisphere teams and that they will have too much guts and determination and that their running-rugby, their ability to run into space will be too much for the more static, forward-oriented English team.

I predict a win by the Wallabies, mostly out of loyalty towards the Southern Hemisphere… Wallabies by 5 – 10.

Players to Watch:

For England: Lively England scrumhalf Danny Care has yet to find his best form so far this season but he is always one to watch. On the wing meanwhile Matt Banahan, of Bath, has been in fantastic form domestically – expect England to try and feed him the ball at every opportunity. Up front, David Wilson has plenty to prove…

For Australia: Moved in from the wing, Digby Ioane is a fantastic attacking weapon, could he be this weekend’s gamebreaker? One has to agree with Robbie Deans, Rocky Elsom is vital. If he can dominate the contact points and allow George Smith to clean up on the ground then England will be in trouble. In terms of the tight five – James Horwill’s lineout work could be key.

Head-to-head: Do we really have to look any further than Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau? These two contrasting 10’s are both phenomenal players and whichever one of them has the greater influence on the game will ultimately decide the winner.

Two very experienced opensides go head to head this weekend – Lewis Moody and George Smith. Both are underpressure for their spots in their respective teams and both will be giving it their all on Saturday afternoon.

Recent Results:

2008: Australia won 28-14, Twickenham, London
2007: WC QFinal England won 12-10, Marseille
2006: Australia won 43-18, Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
2006: Australia won 34-3, Stadium Australia, Sydney
2005: England won 26-16, Twickenham, London
2004: Australia won 21-19, Twickenham, London
2004: Australia won 51-15, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
2003: WC Final England won 20-17, Stadium Australia, Sydney
2003: England won 25-14, Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
2002; England won 32-31, Twickenham, London
2001: England won 21-15, Twickenham, London
2000: England won 22-19, Twickenham, London

The Teams:

England: 15 Ugo Monye, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Dan Hipkiss, 12 Shane Geraghty, 11 Mark Cueto, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Danny Care, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Lewis Moody, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Louis Deacon, 4 Steve Borthwick (captain), 3 David Wilson, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Duncan Bell, 18 Courtney Lawes, 19 James Haskell, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Ayoola Erinle.

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Peter Hynes, 13 Digby Ioane, 12 Quade Cooper, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Will Genia, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 James Horwill, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota Nau, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 David Pocock, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Ryan Cross, 22 James O’Connor.

Date: Saturday, November 7
Venue: Twickenham, London
Time: 16.30 SA Time (14.30 GMT)
Expected Weather Conditions: Chilly conditions with sunny intervals, maximum temperature of 10°C and an expected minimum of 6°C.
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Tim Hayes (Wales)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)