RWC: England wouldn't pick one Aussie - Cipriani

Danny Cipriani has made the bold claim that not one Australian would make England's starting line-up if Stuart Lancaster could select from Michael Cheika's squad.

England must beat Australia at Twickenham on Sunday morning (NZT) if they are to avoid being knocked out of their own World Cup at the Pool stage.

Ahead of the must-win game, Cipriani - who was not selected in the 31-man squad despite an impressive cameo in the 25-20 warm-up defeat by France at the Stade de France in August - has given his contemporaries a shot of confidence.

"England's players know what they can do, and they only just touched the tip of the iceberg against Wales," Cipriani wrote in his capacity as a blogger for Paddy Power.

"They didn't quite put the nail in the coffin, but if it all clicks together on Saturday, Australia won't have an answer.

"Not one Australian would get into that England team right now. The Aussies will be fired up, but when it comes down to it, head-to-head England are too strong.

"England's defensive structure combined with the attacking weapons they have at their disposal make it hard to see past an England win."

But Aussie winger Adam Ashley-Cooper, who will start at Twickenham, laughed off Cipriani's comments, saying: "It's just nice that Danny is talking about someone other than himself. He's a good bloke and I enjoy his selfies a lot. He can say what he likes, he wouldn't ever be a part of our team."

Versatile Sale Sharks back Cipriani also defended captain Chris Robshaw for his decision to go for a try in the dying minutes of the game against Wales, when opting to kick for the posts might have rescued a draw.

With Wales having beaten Fiji in Pool A on Thursday, Warren Gatland's side are in the box seat, knowing that an Australia win would result in both sides qualifying for the quarter-finals with a game to spare.

Cipriani, though, has pinpointed areas where England can seize the initiative at HQ, in the same way they managed to overpower Australia in the 26-17 victory over them last November at the end of a disappointing autumn campaign.

"The scrum is a massive part of the match this weekend, as is the battle between the two 10s and two nines," Cipriani added.

"Potentially the two best nines in the world will be going up against each other in Ben Youngs and Nick Phipps so that will be very decisive, as will the match-up between Farrell and Bernard Foley. They both have big game temperaments and huge ability, it will be a fiery encounter."

-Daily Mail