Cipriani says Wallabies aren’t good enough

“I’m extremely proud of our team for the effort and the hard work that went into the game”, he told reporters.

Two Dan Biggar penalties, however, got Wales over the line to keep the momentum going after their stunning triumph over England at Twickenham last weekend. “So I think I’ll be quite neutral this weekend”. It was a very positive conversation and I’m happy with what we have to do.

Danny Cipriani has claimed that none of Australia’s current team would be selected ahead of the players in the England side if coach Stuart Lancaster had the choice.

England have indeed won four of their past five matches against Australia, but Lancaster, and opposite number Michael Cheika, are aware that World Cups are markedly different from June and November tours. “We’ll give them everything we’ve got and hopefully it will come off”.

“To think you can lose one game in this pool and miss out on a quarter-final berth – that’s how tough it is”, Gatland said after the fraught 23-13 victory over Fiji in Cardiff.

Rowntree warned his players that they must concentrate exclusively on their jobs in key moments against the Wallabies at Twickenham Stadium.

No host nation has failed to reach the knockout phase and defeat to Australia could have damaging repercussions for Lancaster, his coaching lieutenants and Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie. If Australia best England, the English will be two wins behind both Australia and Wales, making it virtually impossible for them to recover. The Welsh win means that England have to beat Australia tomorrow evening at Twickenham.

But in the last week the equation for England has become horribly simple: win, or drop out of their own tournament. “We’ve got to turn up a week Saturday and we’ve got to win, it’s as simple as that”.

“There are opportunities from within this camp to have great balance, we are never going to die wondering in terms of this game”.

“There’s pressure from within, from the players to go out there and perform but you feel the support of the country as well”. “If England were to lose, they wouldn’t just be negative about the England rugby team but also about economic outcomes in general”.

Captain Chris Robshaw has come under fire for that decision, but Wood said: “We back ourselves, we back each other and we’ve regrouped and pulled tight”.

“I understand it’s all a bit of fun and games and a bit of a snipe here, a snipe there, I’m pretty comfortable with all that stuff”, the 48-year-old, who can boast a fortune from the fashion business as well as global success as a coach, added.