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England's powerful pack terrorized a largely second-choice Australian scrum on its summer tour Down Under and was the main reason why Martin Johnson's team was able to draw the two-test series.
The Wallabies have all their leading forwards back for their end-of-year tour but although they have won both of their games so far, against New Zealand and Wales, they have regularly been sent backward in scrums.
Australia could be in for more trouble in that department this weekend, with England captain Lewis Moody confident his side has the edge up front.
"We pride ourselves on the scrum and I think we're right up there with the best in the world at the minute," Moody said.
"It's key that in a week like this we don't get complacent. I think the Australians will have been away and done their homework. They know it is a strong area of our game and will be doing all they can to shut us down."
Australia was without first-choice hooker Stephen Moore against Wales last week because of a back injury but he returns to the team, in place of Saia Faingaa, in the only change from the 22 that earned a 25-16 win in Cardiff.
That should strengthen the Wallabies' scrum, which was famously mauled by the English in the 2007 World Cup quarterfinal in Marseille. Giant Sale Sharks prop Andrew Sheridan also wrecked the Australian pack two years earlier in a November test at Twickenham, leading then-coach Eddie Jones to call for scrum schools in Australia.
With Moore back, however, Australia's front row is the same one that featured in the 18-9 victory at Twickenham last year.
Coach Robbie Deans will also be hoping his back division can reproduce the kind of electric form it showed against the All Blacks in Hong Kong and then against Wales, when fullback Kurtley Beale and winger James O'Connor were particularly impressive.
"From the summer, they have taken a step forward," England flanker Tom Croft said Friday. "The win over New Zealand was massive for them because New Zealand had been on a pedestal for a while and it showed they were beatable.
"Australia are the team to beat at the moment. In tomorrow's game, we have to be perfect."
England's only change to the starting team that lost 26-16 to New Zealand last Saturday sees Dylan Hartley - a tryscorer against the All Blacks - take over from Steve Thompson at hooker. Veteran lock Simon Shaw is fit after a calf injury and takes his place among the replacements instead of Dave Attwood.
England manager Martin Johnson acknowledged his team needs to start better than last weekend, when it conceded two tries in the opening 20 minutes.
"We need to get used to playing at test-match intensity again but I'm confident these things are fixable," Johnson said.
England will be playing in grey, the color of the team's new official change strip, for the first time, even though its traditional white does not clash with Australia's green and gold. In last year's autumn tests, England wore purple against Argentina as a requirement because there was a clash of colors.
"I accept there is some feeling out there that marketing is overtaking the game but actually I don't think it is true at all," said Paul Vaughan, Rugby Football Union's business operations director.
"How we represent ourselves effectively is predominantly through the rose. We always have to try and modernize. We are playing in our change strip in order to tell people it is there."
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Lineups:
England: Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Mike Tindall, Shontayne Hape, Mark Cueto, Toby Flood, Ben Youngs; Andrew Sheridan, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, Tom Palmer, Tom Croft, Lewis Moody, Nick Easter. Replacements: Steve Thompson, David Wilson, Simon Shaw, Hendre Fourie, Danny Care, Charlie Hodgson, Delon Armitage.
Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, Mark Chisholm, Nathan Sharpe, Rocky Elsom (captain), David Pocock, Ben McCalman. Replacements: Huia Edmonds, James Slipper, Dean Mumm, Richard Brown, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes, Lachie Turner.
