England v Australia

Old men with a touch of youth or the slowly developing youngsters with a few old heads; England and Australia are as near as diametrically opposed in their rugby philosophies as two sides playing the same sport can be.

Neither side has been dripping with stardust in recent years, but the number of questions hanging like axes over the heads of both these sides makes it a fascinating prospect.

England must have been pleased to see Australia struggling for attacking rhythm throughout the summer and last Saturday in Tokyo but the flipside is that anything but a win for an experienced selection will be dismissed; and maybe even that will not suffice for some unless the performance shows progress.

Martin Johnson’s policy of taking one game at a time is a fine cliché, but if he wants England to be competitive at the World Cup, he must take a few risks and Saturday is the perfect time to start.

Front-row injuries mean England will probably not be able to dominate Australia in an area where Australia are considerably stronger.

It enables England to think more positively than they have for six years. The slow, dependable possession that John Wells, the England forwards coach, has made his trademark, stifling the attack in the process, has to be remedied. Players must attack beyond the tackler and tackled zone and take the tackler out of the equation. This would breed quick ball and give Danny Care a chance to utilise his eye for the gap. He will need to be at his best because the Wallabies have unearthed Will Genia. The maturity of his game against the All Blacks in Tokyo suggests this 21 year old may be the next in the illustrious line of scrum halves, such as Nick Farr-Jones and George Gregan.

England will want a handle on him and Matt Giteau, the fly half. He is not the greatest shaper of a game, but his ability to draw two defenders into space and find the crucial offload makes him one of the most dangerous midfield runners in the world. The Wallabies will need him in the heart of the action and taking on the England defence.

Jonny Wilkinson should take it easier in an offensive capacity – stand flat if England win quick ball, but avoid the little stuttering step which is less effective than it was eight years ago and acts as a distraction for centres, wings and full backs timing their runs.

Wilkinson can use his passing and deftness of boot to create space for others. To do the former he must stand flatter than England often like their tens to be. Shane Geraghty is a magnificent runner going through the heavy traffic but not so good when running into it. He is anything but a hod carrier and needs to be given gain-line ball to bamboozle Australia with his footwork, pace and creative kicking.

If Wilkinson stands aggressively flat (which he can do only if the pack is intent on quick ball), he and Geraghty could enervate England’s dormant midfield play. But if the side try to run from too far behind the gain line, Wilkinson will be swallowed up by powerful operators, such as Quade Cooper.

The pack has a ponderous look to it. Steve Thompson is not playing well at Brive; Louis Deacon and Steve Borthwick together are not much more dynamic than a sack of potatoes and Jordan Crane is hardly the most rapid No 8.

In contrast, the Australians appear lightweight in the front five (although they have raised their performance levels throughout the summer). In the back row they have an excellent array of permutations, but if England out muscle them, they will struggle on the back foot. Having said that, this is not a mean or mobile looking England pack; it could do with the odd rocket to fire it up, which brings us to...

The main man: Lewis Moody

Wilkinson will probably reluctantly horde the headlines should England achieve the win, but against an Australian pack that is quick and organised in the contact area someone has to play the trailblazing role to ensure Wilkinson has the chance to play the percentages and kick goals. Moody is that man. His club form is outstanding and he will need to repeat it against Australia’s formidable back row operators if England are to build the momentum required to win the game and maybe even play some rugby.