Cipriani ready for 'ferocious' Test

England fly-half Danny Cipriani is expecting a “ferocious” encounter at Twickenham as he prepares for the biggest challenge of his international career against Australia.

England fly-half Danny Cipriani is expecting a “ferocious” encounter at Twickenham as he prepares for the biggest challenge of his international career against Australia.

The Wasps wizard will make just his third Test start against the Wallabies on Saturday, having guided England to victories over Ireland in the Six Nations and the Pacific Islanders in the opening autumn Test.

But the Wallabies present an altogether different test as Cipriani prepares to play in a match he always dreamt of being a part of as a boy.

And, despite being told it is vital he “fronts up” in defence against the Wallabies if he is to develop into a world class fly-half, the 21-year-old insists he has been waiting for this moment and is ready.

“It is going to be a ferocious game. It is going to be massive,” said Cipriani.

“When I was younger I used to watch the big three (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) when they came over and I used to look forward to watching it, never mind playing in it.

“Now I can't wait to take the field and be part of the England side with the guys.”

Cipriani rated his performance against the Pacific Islanders at just five out of ten, despite scoring a try amongst his 19-point haul.

Against Giteau, who ranks alongside Dan Carter as the best fly-half in Test rugby, Cipriani will be able to judge just how far he is from being world class.

“You find out what you are about when you play these guys,” said England manager Martin Johnson.

“I am glad Danny marked himself low. It means he has expectations of himself to play a lot better. We have expectations like that as a team.”

While he was entirely at fault for the charge-down which led to the Islanders' early try, Cipriani knows he must up his game against the Wallabies.

“There is a lot for me to improve on, things like communication with (scrum-half) Danny Care and (inside centre) Riki Flutey,” he said.

“There is a lot of responsibility on Danny and I this weekend to make sure our forwards are playing in the right areas.

“I think we have a better understanding of how we can move forward and hopefully I can help the guys do that.”