To the victor go the soft-serve cones.

England players soaked up the winter sunshine and indulged in a few post-training ice creams in Coogee on Thursday, knowing their tour had been a success. Two emphatic Test victories and a history-making series win in Australia.

What were the Wallabies up to? Defiantly sticking to their guns in the face of a potential three-nil series walkover on home soil. Doubters be damned, said Michael Cheika. They will be proven wrong. Eventually.

"We've kicked half the number of times of our opponent – I'm not sure exactly on the number – and people might say that's naive but I think we talk a lot about our identity in the game and I'm not going to let that be lip service," he said.

"I want to deliver that, own it when it goes wrong and enjoy it when it goes right. And I believe that with the correct preparation, and me becoming a better coach as well, I can make that happen more regularly."

Cheika started with personnel change, bringing in a newly fit Matt Toomua to the starting line-up at No.12 and naming his third second-row pairing in as many weeks. Rob Simmons returns at No.5 after being hooked midway through the first Test in Brisbane and beside him is Waratahs big bopper Will Skelton, in his first Test appearance since injuring his shoulder during the World Cup pool stage. All three changes are designed to improve the Wallabies' attack, which ran into a white wall in Melbourne and came away with nothing.

Toomua, fit again after a knee injury, replaces rookie Queensland centre Samu Kerevi. Cheika was at pains to point out he was delighted with Kerevi's contribution in his debut season but few will be quibbling with the change if it provides the spark Australia sorely need. The Wallabies went 22 phases in attack at one point in Melbourne but lacked the smarts to punch through the tourists' mighty defence. If there was ever a series in which the Wallabies missed the creative input of Kurtley Beale, it was this one.

"I do see that as something I have to do, share those playmaking responsibilities [with No.10 Bernard Foley]," Toomua said.

"The guys who have been out there have been good, but myself, coming in probably changes the dynamic a little bit. Hopefully we can have guys like Israel and that playing a little bit wider, and getting the ball to them. I dare say that's what [Cheika] sees in the back line and I will try and bring my strengths to that."

Australia's attacking line-out is also under pressure. England's daring duo of Maro Itoje and George Kruis have disrupted, if not defused, much of the Wallabies attack off set piece and the heat is on Simmons to come up with a statement performance. Skelton, starting for just the sixth time in his Test career, could be Australia's point of difference this weekend if he can bring his offloading skills to the game.

Just two Tests into a long season, there was no hint of panic from the coach, despite a double-pronged verbal assault from two of the three best mischief makers in the game, Steve Hansen and Eddie Jones (Cheika, in case anyone has forgotten, is the third).

"Fortunately or unfortunately, that comes with the way I've always coached, you leave yourself open to sometimes having a lot of ball and not having the joy of getting the result you want, because it just doesn't happen, the accuracy is not there on the day and that's what's needed to play that type of footy," Cheika said.

"It does leave you open to being hit on the counter[-attack], but I'm sure that's how we want to play rugby in Australia. I'm really going to stick at it and stay at it to make us really good at it, because that's the way we want to play. I don't think we want to go and play a different way."