Wallabies stronger after whitewash — Lynagh/
AUSTRALIA great Michael Lynagh has warned England they will face a completely different Wallabies side at Twickenham on Saturday to the one humbled 3-0 at home in the summer.
Eddie Jones' men achieved a series whitewash in June, but Australia have won three games on their European tour, including a dismantling of Wales.
Lynagh says they are now over a “mental and physical World Cup hangover”.
“Australia are in a different place now," Lynagh told BBC Sport.
“There were a few guys [in the summer] who hadn’t played Test rugby before. They are going to be more competitive than they were in Australia. It's a different team altogether.”
Lynagh says fly-half Bernard Foley is an example of a player who has now regained his form having struggled earlier in the year.
He was out of form in Super Rugby and when England toured,” said Lynagh, who scored 911 points for Australia in a stellar career.
He is a different player now. We saw against Wales how good he was then and how sparkling he was. He also has a lot of new people around him — he has got used to them and they have got used to him.
It is a different Foley to what we have seen for most of the year.”
Meanwhile, England’s World Cup winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson believes the speed of Australia’s attack must be stopped if Jones’ side are to prevail.
Wilkinson has worked in the England camp this year as a part-time kicking and skills coach, and was part of the side that won 14 straight matches from 20022003, a record England can equal this weekend.
I have confidence in these [England] guys, but I’ll be wary of an incredible [Australia] team coming this weekend,” Wilkinson told
They are a team that is clearly on the move upwards, and some of the things they were doing against Ireland were as sharp and as quick as you will see in the international game right now.
If anyone is a bit out of position it will be a long match for England, but they will be prepared and ready. It’s the challenge we need.” BBC.