There will be no hiding place for Danny Cipriani at Twickenham tomorrow. The England fly half, who gave himself no more than five out of ten for last weekend’s 19-point display against the Pacific Islanders, will face a battery of Australians eager to explore his potential.

London Wasps frequently move Cipriani to outside centre in defence but if he is to achieve his stated ambition, of becoming the best No 10 in the world, England expect him to defend. His tackle count against the Islanders in the first match of the Investec Challenge Series was a very respectable 13, but Mike Ford, the England defence coach, expects a calculated assault by Australia on the 10-12 channel.

“Stirling Mortlock is a talisman,” Ford said. “They will come for that channel and try to dent our defence, and Mortlock does that as well as anyone in the world. We could move Danny to 13, we could move him to wing, but wherever he plays, opponents will still go after him. If he wants to be the best, he has to defend.”

Ford is all too aware of Australia’s tryscoring potential: the Wallabies have scored 28 in their 11 matches under the coaching of Robbie Deans this year and have removed what Nathan Sharpe, their lock, called “a gorilla” from their backs by winning in South Africa for the first time since 2000. England have a dismal record against the Sanzar countries since winning the 2003 World Cup: of 19 encounters, they have won four, two each against Australia and South Africa, of which only one, last year’s World Cup quarter-final against the Wallabies in Marseilles, has been away from Twickenham.

“My experience is that the southern-hemisphere nations find you out,” Ford said. “We tried to change our defence between the first and second Tests in New Zealand in the summer, and Dan Carter spotted it on the run. These sides are pretty smart.”

Asked about the traditional rivalry in sport between England and Australia, Steve Borthwick acknowledged that he respected them as competitors but no more than that. “I’m desperate to help England win, whoever it’s against,” the captain said.

Sale Sharks will play Mathew Tait at full back when the Guinness Premiership resumes this evening with Worcester Warriors’ visit to Edgeley Park. If Tait comes through successfully, he will rejoin England next week, by which time the RFU council should have a better understanding of the timescale for the introduction of a second tier to the professional club game in England.

The council meets today with words of warning from Mark McCafferty, the chief executive of Premier Rugby Ltd, in its ears. “It will be the thin end of the wedge if something is forced through against the wishes of several National Division One clubs,” McCafferty said of the RFU’s desire to reduce the second tier to 12 fully professional teams. “There has been no consultation with the professional game board and that’s unacceptable.”