Australia axe Adam Ashley-Cooper and Kurtley Beale after breaking team protocol

Australian rugby was plunged into embarrassment on Friday after it emerged that Adam Ashley-Cooper and Kurtley Beale were not considered for selection to face England because they invited three women back to their Newport hotel room a fortnight ago.

Ashley-Cooper and Beale, who boast precisely 200 caps between them, broke team protocol following the 9-6 defeat to Wales. Both players featured in the 26-7 win over Italy on Saturday but their behaviour was subsequently disclosed to head coach Michael Cheika on Monday by a group of senior players including David Pocock, Nick Phipps, Samu Kerevi and Allan Alaalatoa and led by captain Michael Hooper.

Hooper admitted that the decision to raise the incident had been "extremely hard" yet denied it had caused any disunity. Australia's team rules state that no visitors are allowed in players' rooms, so although the women – one of whom was Ashley-Cooper's sister-in-law – are believed to have left by 10.30pm, the players were sanctioned.

Cheika, who has overseen a run of 10 defeats in 14 Tests stretching back to last year, made no mention of the incident on Thursday afternoon when announcing his initial match-day 23 to face England. However, he addressed the "relatively minor" issue, comparing it to breaking a curfew or being late for training, after reports broke in the Australian media 24 hours later.

"We have had an inconsistent season because we have often taken short cuts when we have needed to go harder and get to the well a little bit more and dig a bit deeper," said Cheika.

"We got together and said we needed to get tougher on the little things, whether that is jogging into the water at training or making sure our off-field is exactly how the team says."

Cheika revealed that the team bus to training had left without him in Argentina last month because he himself had missed the designated meeting time "by one minute" but stressed that there was "clarity" over future standards and was bullish on the Wallabies' prospects of performing this weekend.

"I suppose our backs are to the wall but the players are committed to going to the well more than they have been at any stage this season," he said. "That's what we need to do and we'll love it.

"We love coming out here and playing. We're gonna cop a heap of grief – probably a little bit more after today, for sure – but you've gotta love it. You can't help but enjoy that."

"I know you'll be writing about this now," he added. "But I'll be doing everything I can to make sure you are writing about an Australian victory on Saturday."

Ashley-Cooper won his 117th cap in Italy, making a first senior international appearance since August 2016. Cheika had brought back the Test centurion, who was playing club rugby in Japan, with a view to him competing for a place at Rugby World Cup 2019.

Beale has been involved in a string of well-publicised incidents involving alcohol over the course of his playing career, and was stood down and fined in 2014 for sending offensive text messages to Australia's then-business manager Di Patson. Ashley-Cooper was banned for one match in November 2013 after drinking in mid-week following the Wallabies' 32-15 win over Ireland.

Both players have been kept on tour rather than sent home, with Cheika praising their response and insisting that Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle had been "in the loop the whole time".

Australia had been rocked earlier on Friday by the withdrawal of star back-rower David Pocock due to a neck injury. Cheika conceded that he felt a degree of relief at Pocock's decision due to the amount of punishment that the 30 year-old has absorbed at the breakdown in recent months.

"He'd been copping it," Cheika said. "He's been getting smashed in there and no doubt they'd be coming at him again tomorrow. He knows it's the right call no matter how much he wanted to play – it was a really important game for him, to play in the indigenous jersey and also against England."

Pete Samu will take over from Pocock at No 8 with wing Marika Koroibete coming onto a bench that contains two specialist wings due to the unavailability of Ashley-Cooper and Beale. In spite of a testing 12 months at the helm, Cheika finished by reiterating his own commitment to the cause.

"You haven't asked me any questions I haven't asked myself," he said. "Once you've run that rule over yourself and put yourself through that wringer, I love the challenge no matter what. Have I had doubts? Not really, to be honest.

"I hope that doesn't come across as arrogant. It's not intended to. I have a lot of self-belief and a lot of belief in my team, no matter what. I hope that I can pass more of that into them and onto them so they can have that genuine Aussie swagger tomorrow when we run out onto the field."

Australia to face England: 15. Israel Folau, 14. Dane Haylett-Petty, 13. Samu Kerevi, 12. Bernard Foley, 11. Jack Maddocks, 10. Matt To'omua, 9. Will Genia; 1. Scott Sio, 2. Tolu Latu, 3. Sekope Kepu, 4. Izack Rodda, 5. Adam Coleman, 6. Jack Dempsey, 8. Pete Samu Replacements: 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17. Jermain Ainsley, 18. Allan Alaalatoa, 19. Rob Simmons, 20. Ned Hanigan, 21. Nick Phipps, 22. Sefa Naivalu, 23. Marika Koroibete