Wallabies keen to prove a point in Europe

If you really must take on Australia immediately after an fortnight of Heineken Cup rugby -- the men of Leicester, for instance, face home-and-away encounters with the rough-house Catalans of Perpignan -- it would be nice to count on a few leading Wallabies skipping the trip in favour of a long rest on Manly Beach. Fat chance.

The world champions yesterday named a 30-man squad for their forthcoming European tour, which includes a Test at Twickenham, and the quality was there in abundance.

There have been no strategic withdrawals, no convenient injuries and no demands for rest and recuperation, despite a tough confrontation with the Lions and a hair's-breadth Tri-Nations series that was not settled until the last minute of the last match. A little under year ago, the Wallabies appeared in London without their senior half-backs, George Gregan and Steve Larkham, and lost in injury time. This time, Gregan is travelling as captain, with Larkham alongside him.

Ben Tune, the hot-shot Queensland wing whose catastrophic injury problems denied him a run against the Lions, is back in harness as one of three specialist wings – and, yes, Joe Roff will also tour, despite his decision to treat himself to a season's sabbatical with Biarritz.

Roff wreaked serious havoc in the Lions series, scoring two tries in the pivotal Melbourne Test. England, who face the Wallabies on 10 November, might reasonably have expected to avoid him this time around.

Two of the front-rowers who started against the Lions in Brisbane are missing: Jeremy Paul, the ACT Brumbies hooker who suffered a serious injury during that match, and Glenn Panoho, the tight-head prop from Queensland, who was shown to be unequal to the task. Brendan Cannon of New South Wales continues in Paul's stead, while Bill Young returns from injury to stake a claim. Outside the scrum, the uncapped Queensland centre Steve Kefu, brother of the No 8 Toutai Kefu, makes the trip, as does the brilliant Brumbies' utility back Graeme Bond.

All-in-all, then, England can expect a meaningful assault on their outstanding recent home record -- a run of 10 victories stretching back to the World Cup defeat by New Zealand in October 1999. But Clive Woodward, the red rose coach, would not have wanted it any other way. His northern hemisphere champions will have a rare opportunity to establish themselves as a top-two nation for the first time in living memory, and dent a little of that famed Wallaby self-confidence.

Gregan was always going to succeed the great John Eales as skipper. "The captain has to be a player who is considered a virtual automatic selection, and George is certainly that," said the new Wallaby coach, Eddie Jones, who took over the tracksuit role from Rod Macqueen in July. "He showed tremendous leadership in guiding the Brumbies to their breakthrough Super 12 triumph this year, and his unwavering support for John was crucial during what was probably the toughest domestic Test series we've ever witnessed."

Meanwhile, England Rugby, the new joint-administrative venture between the Rugby Football Union and the Premiership clubs, has concluded a six-year deal with the independent television production company TWI to handle sales of overseas television rights. All England home matches, other than those covered by a separate Six Nations contract, come under the agreement, as do leading domestic games.

If the new arrangement secures the kind of percentage rises currently being reported by the Premiership clubs, Twickenham will be even richer than some of the well-heeled figures who sit on the RFU Council. Season-ticket sales are up 22 per cent across the board, and three clubs -- Leeds, Harlequins and Newcastle -- have announced rises of more than 100 per cent.

Kris Fullman, the Bristol prop, has joined Leeds, while Newport are hoping to tie up the signing of the former All Black scrum-half Junior Tonu'u, who left London Irish during the summer. In France, there was bad news for Italy. Diego Dominguez, the Azzurri's goal-kicker, injured a thigh muscle in of Stade Français' defeat at Biarritz and will be out for three months.

AUSTRALIA SQUAD (Tour to Canada and Europe, October and November): Backs: G Gregan (capt), C Whitaker, S Larkham, E Flatley, M Edmonds, N Grey, D Herbert, S Kefu, G Bond, A Walker, B Tune, J Roff, M Burke, C Latham. Forwards: N Stiles, B Young, B Darwin, R Moore, M Foley, B Cannon, D Giffin, J Harrison, M Connors, T Bowman, O Finegan, M Cockbain, G Smith, P Waugh, T Kefu, D Lyons.