England can taste southern comfort with victory over Australia at Twickenham So much is in England's favour that there will be a degree of anxiety running through supporters. England are well prepared, not especially bedevilled by injury and had a worthwhile loosener against Fiji. Australia, meanwhile, have been thumped in Paris, are beset by injuries and have had the verbal blowtorch turned on them by David Campese. Everything points to an England win. Come on down Mr Sod and invoke your law. Defeat would certainly set the Stuart Lancaster project back on its heels. This is the moment when his players have to seize the moment. While it is true that they lack experience, 242 caps to roughly double that in the Wallabies, they have already come through some significant moments, particularly during the summer tour to South Africa. Lancaster dismisses the notion that England teams of late have been in awe of the southern hemisphere, singling out the 14-14 draw in the third Test in Port Elizabeth as a turning point. "Taking on South Africa in their own backyard in the way we did has given the players the self-belief that they can go toe-to-toe with these sides," said Lancaster. There's no sense at all that they lack self-confidence going up against the southern hemisphere The mood is right. It will need to be. For all their recent woes, these Wallabies are no patsies. There is a quorum of high-grade players there in Kurtley Beale and Digby Ioane, both of whom would feature in a world XV where England would supply none; back-up contenders, too, such as Berrick Barnes and Adam Ashley-Cooper. These players can strike from anywhere and make a mockery of lopsided predictions. "Australia are a cagey team, skilful, one in which you never know where the next threat is coming from," said Rowntree. We've got to have everything covered. There is a caveat. These guys have to get some ball. And that is never a foregone conclusion with a Wallabies scrum. The fault line has been there for a decade. The occasional bit of pug has been applied from time to time to shore things up, but the truth will out - Australia can be an embarrassment at the scrum. That much was to be seen again at the Stade de France last weekend where the Wallabies conceded a penalty try as well as an easy pick-up score from France No 8 Louis Picamoles. Any repeat, and England will be in clover. Rowntree refuses to buy into the notion that the Australian pack is vulnerable, highlighting that the return of prop Ben Alexander after injury has bolstered their resources. He also points out that the scrum is but one facet. The Wallabies line-out has invariably been clever and reliable. England had a 100 per cent return on their own throw against Fiji, debutant hooker Tom Youngs hitting the mark in all senses. More of the same is needed. Australia are missing the likes of flanker David Pocock, as well as a clutch of locks. Michael Hooper can be a handful on the openside and England will have to be on their mettle at the breakdown. Their use of a glut of possession against Fiji was no better than adequate. Seven tries were scored but at least four were missed. There is also the awkwardness of England's start to consider. For 20 minutes Fiji were in the driving seat. A better team would have buried England in that period, as South Africa did in Johannesburg in June. England are aware of these deficiencies. Some of it is down to incompetence, some of it to them operating outside familiar boundaries, the forwards in particular. Both props, Dan Cole and Joe Marler, messed up chances last week. The glass-half-full critique would be that it is good to see them in such positions. After last weekend's underwhelming experience, it is good that there is an edge around Twickenham, a bristling air of expectation. Both teams need something of note: England to define their new generation, Australia redemption. The day will shape perceptions one way or the other.