Rugby: Australia's preparations for England clash hit by sickness bug as Israel Folau and Bernard Foley laid low

A sickness bug has swept through the Australia camp. Photo / Getty

Australia's preparations for Saturday's game against England have been derailed by a sickness bug.

Full-back Israel Folau and fly-half Bernard Foley are among 10 members of the travelling party, including support staff as well as players, who are suffering from the illness, which surfaced shortly after Australia's 26-7 win over Italy last Saturday.

Some players and coaching staff have been quarantined from the rest of the squad in the team hotel in Teddington, but Australia are hopeful that both players will be available for Saturday's game at Twickenham.

Head coach Michael Cheika is already sweating over the fitness of David Pocock, who is suffering from a neck injury, and whose availability will be decided at the last minute. No player is more integral to the Wallabies' hopes than the openside flanker, who frequently operates in the same back row alongside fellow scavenger Michael Hooper.

Eddie Jones, the England head coach, immediately cast doubt on the legitimacy of Pocock's fitness worries. "When I heard it I thought, 'here we go again'," Jones said on Monday.

However, Pocock did not take part in contact training on Tuesday and the Australian camp deny that they are using his fitness as a piece of brinkmanship.

The last time that Pocock suffered a neck injury, playing against New Zealand in the summer, he missed Australia's next game against South Africa two weeks later. Given that this is the last international of the year, Cheika may be inclined to risk his talisman in a bid to halt a five-game losing run against Jones' England.