In the most eagerly anticipated June Test series in years, we break down where the first match will be won or lost between Australia's World Cup finalists and a leaner, much meaner England.
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The No.10s
Owen Farrell is the shrewd selection in this Test match, a choice that allows England to marshal its full arsenal of calculated, defensive, aggressive rugby in pursuit of a maiden Test win in Brisbane. The view from England is that Farrell, 24, has a new maturity coating his confrontational style and after guiding Saracens to an English Premiership win this year, the playmaker's form is beyond doubt. Bernard Foley has delivered consistently for the Wallabies since emerging as the preferred option ahead of Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua under Ewen McKenzie, but a fit, tactical and pumped-up England means he will need to produce his most comprehensive game yet in a gold jersey.
The attitude
"Good stuff, let's go." That was Michael Cheika's response to weeks of bodyline references from England coach Eddie Jones, and it has set the platform for a humdinger of a confrontation. To that end, Rory Arnold is the new Kane Douglas. Cheika has a bee in his bonnet about big men not playing like big men in Australia. He took Douglas under his wing at the Waratahs, helping him harness the power and aggression a towering frame afforded him. Now it's Arnold's turn. His one job? To bash blokes. If the Australian pack do their jobs, Foley's will be much easier. On the England side, look no further than captain Dylan Hartley, second rower Maro Itoje (no shrinking violet at 195 centimetres), winger Marland Yarde, centre Luther Burrell and Farrell. This team has edge and plenty of it. And yet it would not surprise if the first 10 minutes is a tense affair, as both teams wait for the other to blink first.
The bench
The two starting sides are more or less evenly matched for experience, with England just shading the hosts with an average of 36 Test caps per player. The Wallabies, despite starting three debutants, are not far behind with an average of 33 caps per player, but look beyond the run-ons and the teams diverge. Cheika has hedged his starting risks with a whopping 325 Test caps worth of been-there-done-that on his bench, while England carry 190 caps between them. Jones has also gone for a five-three split, naming halfback Danny Care along with George Ford and Jack Nowell. Australia will rely on the uncapped halfback Nick Frisby and 16-Test playmaker Christian Lealiifano to cover the back line. When big bodies are tiring around the 65-minute mark, choices made days earlier will be the difference.
The midfield
Much has been written about the powerful attacking potential in the centre pairings for both teams, and Daniel Herbert's feting of Samu Kerevi as the "best attacking centre in Australia" will do nothing to snuff out the hype building up to kick-off. But Kerevi's defence must be rock solid, and it is on this attribute his Test debut may be judged. The young Reds centre need only follow the man outside him, Tevita Kuridrani, who is capable of stopping most things hurtling his way on a rugby pitch. Jonathan Joseph and Burrell, the latter on a second-chance crusade to repay his coach's faith, give England serious starch and bullocking power.
The lineout
Australia have long used back rower Scott Fardy to call their lineout and he and a newly Cheika-fied Rob Simmons have run the set-piece well under Cheika. Having lost Douglas to injury, Cheika is risking debutant Arnold to partner the experienced Simmons. Tall and taller will face what has emerged as a nifty weapon for England, the second-row pairing of George Kruis and Itoje. Kruis is young but has run the lineout well for England, and will have been hitting his laptop hard after dinner in preparation for this series. Itoje, just 21, has been tipped as a future England captain, but most recently spent the winter spoiling opposition lineouts on the way to his team's grand slam. The Wallabies are on notice.
