Australia vs England teams: Teimana Harrison replaces James Haskell as Wallabies make three changes
Harrison's inclusion is the only change that head coach Eddie Jones makes for what will be a 'World Cup dress rehearsal' for England
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Your support makes all the difference.England will not lift their foot off the gas despite already securing a series victory over Australia after Eddie Jones made just one change to his side for the third and final Test against the Wallabies, with Teimana Harrison receiving his second cap after James Haskell was ruled out with injury.
Haskell has been integral to giving England back-to-back victories in Brisbane and Melbourne that leaves the tourists on the cusp of a tour whitewash, but he left the AAMI Stadium last weekend in a protective boot and has failed to recover in time from the foot injury that he suffered in the 23-7 victory.
It means that head coach Jones bring in Northampton Saints back-row Harrison, who made his debut in the pre-tour victory over Wales last month, and the New Zealand-born flanker gets the nod ahead of Jack Clifford despite the Harlequins forward coming off the replacements’ bench in last weekend’s victory.
"Teimana comes into the side at seven for James Haskell whose foot hasn't quite recovered from Saturday," said Jones.
"Teimana has trained well throughout the tour and deserves his spot. He's an excellent defender and his robustness will be important to us at the start of the game. Jack Clifford is unlucky to miss out, but will finish the game for us."
Jones names an unchanged replacements’ bench for the third Test, meaning that Clifford joins a forward-heavy line-up the features a full front-row as well as Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes.
Despite the series victory wrapped up and the absence of their leading candidate for player of the series in Haskell, Jones stressed that they will not take the dead rubber lightly and have instead approached the match as a World Cup final, with the first and second Tests replicating the quarter and semi-final stages.
"We've treated this week like a dress rehearsal for the World Cup because that what we're always building towards," Jones said.
To win a World Cup you have to win three big games in a row - we've won two so this third game is the most important game we'll play all year
"To win a World Cup you have to win three big games in a row - we've won two so this third game is the most important game we'll play all year. It will be a good indication of where we are as a team.
"The players have enjoyed being in Coogee this week and the attitude to training has been absolutely first class. They have been inspired by the challenge of playing better for the last game.
"We're looking forward to playing in front of a full house at Allianz Stadium on Saturday and we are confident we can finish the job off with a win."
England had never won a Test series Down Under prior to the victory in Melbourne, and the chance to seal a whitewash over the Australians would go a long way to banishing the memory of the humbling World Cup defeat at Twickenham last year that sent England crashing out of their home tournament, as well as maintain Jones’s 100 per cent start since replacing Stuart Lancaster.
England have already risen to second in the World Rugby rankings behind New Zealand, and having won the Six Nations Grand Slam along with the summer Test over Wales, Jones will hop to end the season with his winning record intact.
Australia meanwhile have made three changes to the side that suffered defeat in Melbourne, with Matt Toomua recovering from a knee injury to return at inside centre at the expense of Samu Kerevi.
The giant lock Will Skelton is recalled to the second row to partner Rob Simmons, who also returns after being dropped following the first Test defeat. Sam Carter and Rory Arnold drop out of the matchday squad altogether, with head coach Michael Cheika set to drop one of the nine replacements he has named ahead of Saturday’s match.
"Toomua came back and we probably could have spun him out last week, but he needed more running in his legs,” said Cheika.
"There's a long way to go yet in this season so I didn't want to burn him early. He's an experienced player, he plays in that role as second playmaker for us, so it was a logical choice.
Rob was stung by being left out of the team and he fully understood the areas I wanted him to improve on
"Even though Skelton's been playing, he's been playing with a shoulder injury. He hasn't been able to show us his best yet this season.
"We've put him through some hard work during two or three weeks we've been together. He's a big guy, if he's not at that level of fitness he can't play international footy.
"Rob was stung by being left out of the team and he fully understood the areas I wanted him to improve on.
"He's bitten back at training and that warrants an opportunity for him, considering his track record and how much he's done in the Australian jersey up until now."
Teams
Australia: I Folau (Waratahs); D Haylett-Petty (Western Force), T Kuridrani (Brumbies), M Toomua (Brumbies), R Horne (Waratahs); B Foley (Waratahs), N Phipps (Waratahs); J Slipper (Reds) S Moore (Brumbies, capt), S Kepu (Waratahs), W Skelton (Waratahs), R Simmons (Reds), S Fardy (Brumbies), M Hooper (Waratahs), S McMahon (Rebels).
Replacements (one to be omitted): T Polota-Nau (Waratahs), S Sio (Brumbies), G Holmes (Reds), A Coleman (Force), D Mumm (Waratahs), W Palu (Waratahs), N Frisby (Reds), C Leali'ifano (Brumbies), T Naiyaravoro (Waratahs).
England: M Brown (Harlequins); A Watson (Bath), J Joseph (Bath), O Farrell (Saracens), J Nowell (Exeter); G Ford (Bath), B Youngs (Leicester); M Vunipola (Saracens), D Hartley (Northampton, capt), D Cole (Leicester), M Itoje (Saracens), G Kruis (Saracens), C Robshaw (Harlequins), T Harrison (Northampton), B Vunipola (Saracens).
Replacements: J George (Saracens), M Mullan (Wasps), P Hill (Northampton), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), J Clifford (Harlequins), D Care (Harlequins), E Daly (Wasps).
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