Rugby World Cup 2015: Gatland torn by England-Australia game

When asked if his entire time with England hangs on this week, Lancaster said: “I think that’s fair to say”.

Only victory over the Wallabies will be enough to rescue Stuart Lancaster’s men from an inglorious entry in the history books by becoming the first host nation to fail to reach the knockout phase.

“It’s a must-win game because if we lose we don’t get out of the group”.

With Billy Vunipola out of the tournament and Courtney Lawes still struggling with a knee injury, Ben Morgan will return at number eight and Joe Launchbury will start his first World Cup match in the second-row.

“When they come back they tend to stay, because we try to ensure they enjoy it – to make sure they feel valued and they’re getting something from it”.

“I don’t think you can have it one week and lose it the next because it makes you resilient for the losses”.

Wales’s win over Fiji saw them move to the top of Pool A on 13 points – four ahead of Australia and seven in front of England.

But Cipriani, who had an unsuccessful stint in Australia with Super Rugby side the Melbourne Rebels in 2011-12, is expecting a home victory on Saturday that would put England firmly back on track in the tournament.

Dismissing D’Arcy’s comments, Cipriani said: “Everyone has a role to play in this World Cup – whether it’s the media or former professionals not directly involved in the competition”.

“We have got a nice turnaround, and the boys can look forward to this weekend and then look forward to a big Test match against Australia next weekend”.

“Our priority was to win, not the bonus point, and Australia didn’t get a bonus point against Fiji“, said Warburton.

However, Lancaster said there was a difference between attacking and reckless rugby, especially with Australia’s back-row boasting turnover specialists Michael Hooper and David Pocock.

“The only place things are going to be different is on the field on Saturday night and that’s where we’ve got to show our colours”.

“If we’re being entirely selfish about our own destiny and making the quarter-finals, Australia can do us a big favour on Saturday”, acknowledged Gatland, the New Zealander who has been in charge of Wales since 2007. He said the squad had “trained our hearts out” this week but highlighted the danger of giving away cheap penalties. We knew how they scrummaged against England, and how good they are in that area. “I believe this group has been really clear on where we must improve and the level we must be at to compete with England and we know it’s going to be a very tough challenge”.