Preview: Australia v England

In their first Test against Australia in Perth, England will be looking for their first away win over the Wallabies since RWC 2003.

In their first ever Test in Perth, against Australia, England will be looking for their first win over the Wallabies on Australian soil since their famous 2003 World Cup final triumph, and only their third ever.

Looking ahead to the next World Cup in New Zealand, England manager Martin Johnson and his team will be determined to deliver a statement of intent in their opening Test down under.

Johnson's last trip to Australia as an England player ended with him holding aloft the World Cup – now he is determined to usher in a new period of success for his country upon his return as manager to turn around the team's fortunes.

His 23-month reign is yet to really take off after below-par showings in the last two Six Nations championships, while he is yet to beat any of the three southern-hemisphere giants in Tests.

But England fans will be hoping this year's end-of-season tour will provide the spark for a bright new era. However, the win-loss ratio between the two nations doesn't exactly make pretty reading for the visiting side – Australia have won 22 of their 37 clashes against England, while the latter have won 14 with one ending in a draw.

Injuries to some key personel in the Australian ranks though has handed England their best opportunity in a long while to turn the tables on their southern hemisphere rivals.

England will be out to capitalise on Australia's inexperienced front row as well as cash in on the injured Matt Giteau who was ruled out on the eve of Saturday's Test.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans had already been forced into several changes up front after injuries to Benn Robinson and Ben Alexander, as well as hookers Stephen Moore and Tatafa Polota-Nau.

Deans resisted the temptation to call on some familiar faces in the form of veterans Al Baxter and Matt Dunning, instead going for raw trio Salesi Ma'afu, Saia Faingaa and Ben Daley meaning Australia will go into the match with a front row boasting just two Test caps.

In contrast, England coach Martin Johnson named experienced trio Dan Cole, Steve Thompson and Tim Payne in his front row in a powerful English pack.

The trio have 80 Test caps between them, 55 of them for Thompson, and the scrum is an area where the tourists will look to exploit the Wallabies.

“I've got no doubt that when you look at the profile of their group that it (scrummaging) will be one of their starting points in the game and if you look at how England plays, in many ways it has to be,” Deans said.

“We are conscious of that and have prepared to that end, and it's a contest that we are really looking forward to. We've done OK in our set piece in our recent experiences against England and this line-up is chosen on form, on blokes who have earned the right and it's an area that we will be seeking to do well in, but there's nothing new in that.”

Illustrating the turnover in the Australian camp, only three players remain from the Wallabies' starting XV when the two sides met in November at Twickenham last year, and captain Rocky Elsom is the only survivor from the starting pack in that match.

So experience is on England's side, but whether they can divorce themselves from the past remains to be seen as Australia will no doubt hold the psychological edge.

In order to break their hoodoo Down Under, England have to strike a balance between what they have been traditionally good at – winning the ball, keeping the ball, imposing themselves in the forwards and kicking goals – with turning old weaknesses into strengths.

“We want to win both Tests, that's what we are here for. We want to find out about some players and ideally they will all put their hands up,” said Johnson.

“When have Australia ever not enjoyed playing us? That's the thing, when we take to the field on Saturday, they are going to want to beat us.

“England versus Australia at any sport has always got an edge and I'm looking forward to it.”

If Johnson's quest for the world crown starts here, his team have to get used to winning in the southern hemisphere. Easier said than done…

Ones to watch:

For Australia: Ever-gold Western Force skipper Nathan Sharpe has taken his place as the old man in this new-look Wallaby squad, however the 2m, 115kg lock is in the form of his life. His re-juvenated Test career comes on the back of a best ever Super 14 season where he has been an inspiration to his injury ravaged Force team. Sharpe is four years older than the next oldest player and a staggering eight years senior of the group's average age – his experience will be a huge asset to Australia's cause.

For England: Former New Zealand rugby league star Shontayne Hape will be out to make the grade in union at international level with England. Quick out of the blocks and strong on his feet, Hape offers plenty on attack and defence – a quality England will need more than ever against a fierce Wallaby back-line.

Head to head: The front row. The front row of young Reds hooker Saia Faingaa, debutant prop Ben Daley and Brumbies prop Salesi Ma'afu have just 89 minutes of Test experience between them. They will come up against a England front row of Tim Payne, Steve Thompson and Dan Cole that has more Test caps than the Wallabies fatties have Test minutes!

Previous results:
2009: Australia won 18-9, London
2008: Australia won 28-14, London
2007: England won 12-10, Marseille (World Cup, quarterfinal)
2006: Australia won 43-18, Melbourne
2006: Australia won 34-3, Sydney
2005: England won 26-16, London
2004: Australia won 21-19, London
2004: Australia won 51-15, Brisbane
2003: England won 20-17, Sydney (World Cup, Final)
2003: England won 25-14, Melbourne

Prediction: As Tests go it's difficult to recall a harder match to pick than this one between two untried line-ups. Ultimately, it will all depend on who gels best on the night. Australia to win by five points.

The teams:

Australia: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 James Slipper, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Will Genia, 21 Peter Hynes, 22 Kurtley Beale.

England: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 Chris Ashton, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Lewis Moody (c), 6 Tom Croft, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 David Wilson, 18 Courtney Lawes, 19 James Haskell, 20 Ben Youngs, 21 Jonny Wilkinson, 22 Mathew Tait.

Date: Saturday, June 12
Venue: Subiaco Oval, Perth
Kick-off: 18.05