RBP Match Preview: England vs Australia

In a Pool A match of vital importance, England will play Australia at Twickenham. Australian fans have been pointing to England’s loss to Wales last week, while England fans can be heard shouting the score of the last encounter between the two sides, a 26-17 win. Truthfully though, neither of these results bear much relevance to this match. England know what they want to do if they are to have a shot of escaping the pool, while Australia will want to get themselves safely into the quarterfinals. Both teams have it all to play for, and the tenacity of the match will be ferocious.

In the front row, there are no changes for England, who had a great game against the Welsh in the scrum. Joe Marler’s scrummaging tactics have come under fire, so expect to see the ref watching him very closely indeed. Tom Youngs and Dan Cole both played superbly well, and will want to repeat that performance with a good showing at Twickenham. As for Australia, 23 year old Brumbies loosehead Scott Sio continues to turn heads with his performances, while Stephen Moore’s exemplary leadership and workrate will make life difficult for the English from the first minute until the last. Sekope Kepu has shown a pretty good nose for the line of late, and will look to continue that against England.

Joe Launchbury steps in alongside Geoff Parling with Courtney Lawes out for the time being. Launchbury is an excellent option for England, as he remains one of the world’s most well rounded players in the second row. Parling is a great lineout technician, and expect England to give Australia headaches in this regard. Australia have named a good lineout technician of their own in Rob Simmons, who will wear the 5 shirt, while former Leinster lock Kane Douglas takes the 4 shirt. Douglas offers a lot of physicality, so he will have no issues fronting up with the English pack.

The flankers are unchanged for England, with Tom Wood and Chris Robshaw reuniting. Both are tackling machines, so look for big numbers from both in this area, while you can expect to see them looking to slow the Wallaby attack at every opportunity. Billy Vunipola’s injury against Wales means that England must give another shot to Gloucester number 8 Ben Morgan, who scored two tries last time these two sides met. If England’s plan is indeed to win the breakdown, then they will have a tougher job than one might expect. With a back row of Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, and David Pocock, the Wallabies have no shortage of grunt in their loose forwards. They might not be the most exciting with ball in hand, but rest assured, these players will be a nightmare for the English at every single ruck.

Michael Cheika made something a of shock when he announced that Will Genia would be starting in the 9 shirt for the Wallabies. On form, there are few better than the little general, but it has been sometime since he has truly been on form, and one would think that Nick Phipps would be the safer bet. Outside Genia will be the reliable presence of Bernard Foley, who can probably secure himself as the starter over Quade Cooper with a good showing. England have started Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell in the halves, and Farrell’s reliable boot will give England an advantage in the territorial game, should they decide to play it. Farrell needs to play well and get a win, or England will likely be out of the tournament, and he will have to fight his way back over George Ford once again.

England welcome the return of Jonathan Joseph to the lineup, allowing them to return Brad Barritt to his more comfortable 12 shirt, while dropping Sam Burgess to the bench. Joseph will hopefully add the spark and excitement that England’s backline so desperately lacked last week against Wales. Barritt’s defensive prowess will be tested as the Wallabies have named a very exciting center pairing. Matt Giteau joins Tevita Kuridrani in the Australian backline, and you can expect to see these two looking to get involved with great frequency. Kuridrani is a potent finisher, and there are not many better than Giteau at setting up tries. This has the makings of a very exciting battle.

Rob Horne and Adam Ashley-Cooper start on the wings for the Wallabies, and they will bring their physicality and athleticism to the fore. Both will need to be well positioned and solid under the high ball, as England are likely to bombard them with kicks of all varieties. Arguably the world’s most deadly finisher, Israel Folau starts at fullback, meaning England must kick accurately, and chase with reckless abandon. England’s back three are not too shabby either when it comes to finishing tries. Jonny May has been in great form throughout the tournament, and his pace means he is a major danger for Michael Cheika’s side. Anthony Watson’s agility and vision in space means he is always a threat, and Mike Brown will create space for others, and never, ever misses an opportunity.

Dean Mumm and Ben McCalman are exciting options for Australia to use off the bench, while the thought of Matt Toomua and Kurtley Beale coming on against a tiring English defence is likely to be giving Stuart Lancaster nightmares. Mako Vunipola brings a lot of impact late in the match, and 36 year old number 8 Nick Easter may seem to be innocuous enough, but his form at the moment is unprecedented. Should he come on, you can expect him to make quite an impact. Michael Cheika will not want to see George Ford in space late in the match, as the English fly half is capable of tearing a defence to shreds in no time at all.

Normally, form is one of my biggest factors when making predictions, and on that basis, a Wallaby win would be an easy prediction, but things are not so simple. As much as I hate England fans saying it, they are a different team at Twickenham, but more importantly, this England team has their backs against the wall. A loss puts them largely out of contention, so they will be fighting like caged animals for the entirety of the game, and if the Wallabies cannot handle that intensity they will find themselves in a fight for their lives. That said I still maintain that this England team has yet to play to their full potential, and if they fail to do so again, I dont think they can beat this Australian team.

Prediction: Australia 24- England 17