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England vs Australia: Six reasons why England can beat the Wallabies and reach the RWC 2015 quarter-finals

England are in the last chance saloon, but here's a few reasons to be optimistic ahead of tonight's showdown

Jack de Menezes

Saturday 03 October 2015 15:07 BST

England centre Jonathan Joseph (Getty Images)

England face a monumental task to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals as they must beat Australia at Twickenham or else face the embarrassing prospect of early elimination.

No side named solely as a World Cup host has been eliminated at the end of the pool stage, and if England suffer defeat to the Wallabies, they will have no mathematical chance of reaching the last eight as Australia will join Wales in progressing from Pool A.

But here’s a few reasons for the red rose to be optimistic heading into the match.

Jonathan Joseph is back from injury

One player doesn’t make a team, but they can lift a side just by their presence. Jonathan Joseph has the ability to do just that, and his attacking threat will at least pose questions to Australia’s defence that they won’t have faced had Joseph failed to recover from the pectoral injury that kept him out of the Wales clash.

The Bath centre may not have his club colleague George Ford inside him, but he can still dance his way around opposite number Tevita Kuridrani if given the chance, and if Owen Farrell cane find a way to get the ball to him in space Joseph can bring Twickenham to its feet.

England vs Australia combined XV

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1/15England vs Australia combined XV

England vs Australia combined XV

15. Mike Brown

Israel Folau would waltz into most sides in the world, but on current form you can’t look beyond Brown. Both players are phenomenal in the air and cancel out each other’s strong area, but given England have struggled so far it’s more than impressive to see Brown top of the clean breaks statistics as well as having the second most metres gained at the end of the second round of pool fixtures. Possibly the tightest call for any position, but that’s because both are currently performing at a world class level.

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England vs Australia combined XV

14. Adam Ashley-Cooper

Anthony Watson has the x-factor when it comes to finishing tries, but Ashley-Cooper remains Mr Dependable for the Wallabies. His versatility sees him capable of playing across the back line and he is not too bad at finishing himself, as his 33 tries in 109 Test appearances proves. The 31-year-old is also a big game player who saves his best for the most important matches…like this weekend, perhaps?

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England vs Australia combined XV

13. Jonathan Joseph

Rushed back from a pectoral injury due to his importance to England’s apparent attacking philosophy, Joseph has the ability to break any defence in the world and the footwork every player dreams of. His opposite number, Tevita Kuridrani, is of the sizeable style of centres and at nearly two metres tall and over 100kg, he could be turned inside out by the elusive Joseph.

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England vs Australia combined XV

12. Matt Gitaeu

Imagine if England had a player with the attacking ability and creativity of Giteau. The veteran centre has the intelligence to pick apart defences and the talent to execute it, not to mention the quality that marks him out as one of the best to have played the game. Faced up with the threat of Brad Barrit, Giteau is a gimme in this team, but the question is can he work his way around England’s defensive linchpin on Saturday?

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England vs Australia combined XV

11. Jonny May

May has saved his best form for when it matters most, as he made a swift start to open his account against Wales. With sheer pace and an eye for the try line, Australia will want to give him a little ball as possible, and he beats off competition from Rob Horne – who could be targeted by the English as a weak link in Wallaby back line.

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England vs Australia combined XV

10. Owen Farrell

Perhaps harsh on Bernard Foley, but Farrell simply doesn’t put in bad performances in the England shirt. His 100 per cent kicking record against Wales went a long way to remind fans of this – and add weight to the question of why didn’t England go for the draw – and while Foley offers more with the ball in hand, Farrell is capable of kicking teams out of a match single-handedly.

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England vs Australia combined XV

9. Ben Youngs

It’s a question of which scrum-half will find their best, and in recent form you’d back Youngs to do so over the highly talented Will Genia. Youngs overcame a nightmare start to the World Cup to get back to somewhere near his best against Wales until injury struck him. Genia has the potential to be world class, but he has struggled for consistency in recent years, and that sees the resurgent Youngs take the No 9 shirt.

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England vs Australia combined XV

1. Scott Sio

England’s front-row would expect to be a shoe-in against the Wallabies, but not with Sio around. The Brumbies’ loose-head prop is a major reason why the Wallabies can now boast something of a scrum resistance, and they will hope that the perceived weakness will be non-existent when they collide on Saturday.

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England vs Australia combined XV

2. Tom Youngs

Another difficult choice between Youngs and Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore, but this time it’s more of a case of the best of a bad bunch. Neither Youngs nor Moore would fit in to a World XV on current form, and both have questionable records in the lineout. Youngs’ work with the ball in hand and in defence sees him steal the shirt.

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England vs Australia combined XV

3. Dan Cole

Cole remains England’s cornerstone in the scrum who also fancies himself as a bit of a back-row when he sees a chance of a turnover at a ruck. His battle with Sio will be one to watch for the traditionalists, and he has the better of opposite number Sekope Kepu for the tight-head spot.

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England vs Australia combined XV

4. Joe Launchbury

Neither side’s second-rows can boast a fantastic start to the campaign, and had Rob Simmons been starting in the No 4 shirt, he would have taken the shirt. But Kane Douglas has had a less than impressive World Cup so far and Launchbury gets the nod on the mistakes he hasn’t made – simply because he hasn’t played that much. If the Wasps man can find any of his 2014 form, he’ll justify his selection.

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England vs Australia combined XV

5. Geoff Parling

Parling has gone from the unlucky third wheel in the lock department to England’s must-have forward due to his ability to run the lineout. England suffered when Parling was not able to run the set-piece against Wales late on, and a confessed geek when it comes to the lineout, he could prove to be the difference in an area of perceived weakness.

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England vs Australia combined XV

6. Tom Wood

Wood is quietly putting his hand up to be England’s player of the World Cup. His work rate with and without the ball is phenomenal, and he offers an extra option in the lineout that is more than reliable. He comes up against Australia’s Scott Fardy this weekend and will hope to get the better of him in order to have a go at ‘Pooper’, who need no introduction.

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England vs Australia combined XV

7. Michael Hooper

The younger half of Australia’s feared back-row combination, Hooper’s agility and sheer brilliance at the breakdown sees him oust the England captain Chris Robshaw. Hooper made his impact felt at Twickenham last year when Australia fell short, and his war with Robshaw will certainly be fought out at 100 per cent.

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England vs Australia combined XV

8. David Pocock

Australia’s ace up their sleeve sees a second natural openside start at No 8, and while it removes the impactful running offered by a traditional back-row heavyweight, it gives the Wallabies an extra edge at the breakdown. Former captain Pocock is arguably playing at his best after recovering from career-threatening knee injuries, and despite handing over the leadership role, he remains the player to watch for the Wallabies – as his two tries against Fiji proved.

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Australia struggle against England at Twickenham

In their last four encounters at HQ, England have emerged victorious on three occasions, and they also picked up an impressive 21-20 victory when the teams last met Down Under in 2010. The home fans know this, and love to get behind their side with a cacophony of noise when the Wallabies come to town.

With the sole defeat to Australia in their last five encounters coming in 2012 when Chris Robshaw’s decision-making as skipper came under intense scrutiny, England will hope to respond in similar fashion as they did that year. Two weeks later they beat the All Blacks.

Scrum mentality is half the battle won

Australia’s coaching staff may be talking up a strong game in the scrum, but the only man whose opinion will matter will be the referee, Romain Poite. The Frenchman likes the sound of his own whistle, and if he believes that Messrs Marler, Youngs and Cole have the nudge in the front-row battle, he won’t think twice in penalising the Wallabies should they infringe in the scrum.

Penalties bring points, and with Farrell in the side England can expect a healthy dose from his ultra-reliable boot. The task though is getting Poite on their side. Lose the first scrum and it could be a long, disappointing day.

England didn’t play badly against Wales

Many were left scratching their heads long after Wales had left London as to how England had conspired to lose the match. Their first-half showing was very impressive to dominate the Welsh, and they just seemed to lose their way after the break that ultimately cost them the result. If they are able to reproduce that first-half showing over the full 80 minutes, England can all but book their place in the quarter-finals.

Australia haven’t been tested yet

Australia’s only real test has come in trying to secure the bonus point against Fiji – which they failed to gain – and a comprehensive victory over Uruguay followed. But their two biggest tests lay ahead in England and Wales, and there’s a case to be argued that the Wallabies could be caught cold if England start like they did against Fiji and the Welsh.

Their World Cup fate remains in their own hands

The match has been billed as a last chance for Robshaw and Stuart Lancaster, but England must see the occasion as a chance to book their place in the quarter-finals. As Wales and Australia have already shown, a bonus-point victory should be a given against Pool A minnows Uruguay, and with one of Australia and Wales set to take points off the other, and England win tonight will almost guarantee progression.

Now that didn’t seem possible last Saturday night, did it?

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