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Only John Eales, the captain, fits into the world-class bracket, although Richard Harry, the loose-head prop from New South Wales, has a thoroughbred look about him.”Argentina was a significant defeat, we’re not at all happy with it and although I haven’t heard the criticism aimed at us back home, you have to expect it when you lose the way we did,” Macqueen said. “This Test against England is all about focusing on our own game. I’d like it to be a decent spectacle – the matches in Argentina were not so good from that point of view – but the important thing is to develop the style we’re looking for.”England? Well, I know they have five new caps. Am I surprised or worried about that? It depends how good those five players turn out to be, doesn’t it? I actually met Clive Woodward for the first time in a lift in Buenos Aires a couple of weekends ago and we had a drink and a natter, but he didn’t give much away.

We’ll know more about England at the end of this game but more crucially from our point of view, we’ll know more about ourselves, too.”AUSTRALIA (v England, Twickenham, Saturday, 15 November): S Larkham (Australian Capital Territory), B Tune, T Horan (both Queensland), P Howard, J Roff (both ACT), E Flatley (Queensland), G Gregan (ACT), R Harry (New South Wales), M Foley (Queensland), A Blades (NSW), J Langford (ACT), J Eales (Queensland, capt), O Finegan, B Robinson (both ACT), W Ofahengaue (NSW). Replacements: M Hardy, S Payne, A Heath (all NSW), M Caputo (ACT), M Cockbain, D Wilson (both Queensland).. Andy Nicol will lead Scotland against Australia at Murrayfield on Saturday week. The Bath scrum-half was yesterday handed the captaincy in Rob Wainwright’s absence for the first in an autumn double-header against two of the leading southern hemisphere nations.

South Africa also come to Edinburgh, on 6 December, and, despite leading out the Scotland tourists against some of that country’s provincial sides last summer, Nicol is relishing the prospect of his first international in charge. “I have been lucky enough to play for the national side before and now I regard myself as very fortunate in that I am realising a lifetime goal,” he said.
The former Dundee HSFP dynamo would undoubtedly have won more than the eight caps he has managed since making his debut against England five years ago, but for a chronic run of injury problems. However, after regaining his best form since his elevation at the Recreation Ground earlier this season, Nicol got the nod once he had beaten off fierce competition from Gary Armstrong and Bryan Redpath for the No 9 berth.”He was the clear-cut choice as captain once we had made that decision,” confirmed the coach, Richie Dixon, who named four new caps for the Wallabies’ visit.Glasgow’s James Craig was rewarded for his try-scoring prowess in the district’s European Cup campaign, although he will start on the right rather than his favoured position on the left.Edinburgh’s Grant McKelvey completes a remarkable recovery just four games into his comeback from a persistent back injury by claiming the hooker’s spot ahead of Gordon Bulloch, who is on the bench.The other newcomers in the pack are the Kelso and Scottish Borders flanker Adam Roxburgh, who has finally started to fulfil his potential this year, and the 21-year-old Bedford lock, Scott Murray.The British Lion Gregor Townsend gets the chance to show off his mercurial talents from his favoured stand-off position despite some erratic form for Northampton recently.The backs coach, David Johnstone, said: “Gregor showed in South Africa that he has the ability to be a good team man, and he is also a big game player. He credits Hodgson for rebuilding confidence and for changing the practice schedule. He was called into the national squad for the first time this week, an embodiment of the improvements at his club since Roy Hodgson became manager last summer.Last season, albeit in an injury-ravaged period, he managed 11 league goals while this term he has managed the same number in all competitions already. A lot of things have happened to Ian, mostly positive some negative, but he has to recharge himself A goal will do it. We all know that if he sticks one into the back of the net the big smile will come back.”Wright aggravated an ankle injury in training on Tuesday which is expected to heal by Saturday, but if it does not then Blackburn’s Chris Sutton will be straining at the leash to be the replacement.

When the ball isn’t going for me I don’t become negative.”Hoddle concured: “It’s not a question of complacency. You can get away with it at 23 but not when you’re 32.”Wright wrote in Arsenal’s programme on Sunday that a goal would solve all his problems. “I’ve heard comments that I’m not the same player since I got the record,” he said, “but I’ve been through such dry periods before in my years as a striker with Crystal Palace and Arsenal before and got through them… He was on the phone after Arsenal played Aston Villa last month to discuss it with John Gorman [Hoddle's assistant]. He’s putting in too many appearances here and there and he needs to cut them down He’s aware of it, he’s doing something about it. In the absence of Alan Shearer, Ian Wright is probably the best goalscorer England have and he wants him in prime condition when the squad of 22 reaches France in seven months’ time.Yet since Wright surpassed Cliff Bastin’s mark with a flourish against Bolton on 13 September he has scored only three goals in 10 matches. I was very pleased with his performance.”Since then he knows his standard has dropped a little He knows that, he’s the first to admit it.