SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia and England have both set out their stall for a titanic forward battle at Perth Stadium on Saturday in the first of three July tests that could have lasting repercussions for both teams.
England coach Eddie Jones has overseen eight straight victories over the country of his birth, including a 3-0 series sweep Down Under in 2016, but arrived in Western Australia under a bit of pressure after a disappointing Six Nations.
With the Rugby World Cup little more than a year away, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is also dealing with some pressure and he will be expected to oversee the end of that six-year losing streak at the very least.
Rennie has banked on the success the ACT Brumbies enjoyed against New Zealand teams in Super Rugby and loaded his side with forwards from the Canberra-based outfit, one of the best mauling sides in the competition.
Journeyman lock Cadeyrn Neville will make his Wallabies debut at the age of 33, while hooker Dave Porecki will also play his first test and be tasked with finding his jumpers with unerring accuracy at lineout time.
Flyhalf Quade Cooper will lead a strong backline including centre Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete, however, and Rennie said the Wallabies would not be totally focused on the battle up front.
“Oh no, we still want to play,” he told reporters from Perth on Thursday.
“But there’s no doubt that’ll be a focus for them. They’ve got a very big pack and they’ve brought back a fair bit of experience.
“It’s an area where we feel if we can overshadow them, it gives us an opportunity to get our game going. There’s no doubt that at international level, if you haven’t got a group of men functioning up front, you’re not going to win.”
Jones recalled Billy Vunipola at the back of a big, gnarly pack, while scrumhalf Danny Care will play his first test for four years and battle wits with Nic White.
Owen Farrell returns to the side for his first test since last November but Courtney Lawes captains the team as the playmaker gets back into the swing of things after injury.
“We feel that this is the best thing for the team and Owen because he’s a very important player for us,” Jones told reporters in Perth on Thursday.
“Given the time he’s had out, we want him to play these three tests and concentrate on being the best player he can be.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
