The Wallabies expect injury-ravaged England to serve up typically dour northern hemisphere rugby in hope of pulling off a minor sporting miracle at Twickenham on Saturday.

With nearly two teams' worth of players injured on the sidelines, England coach Martin Johnson on Wednesday announced a bunch of no names to tackle Australia - including four outside backs with single digit Test match experience.

"It's going to be difficult and tough," Johnson said.

"Australia are a team that are battle-hardened, they will be well organised and have things up their sleeves for us they haven't shown yet."

So decimated are England that just four players remain from last year's corresponding fixture - which Australia won 28-14 - while, incredibly, veteran five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson and hooker Steve Thompson have been reunited for the first time since teaming in the 2003 World Cup final triumph over the Wallabies.

Wilkinson, with 70 Test caps to his credit despite being frequently struck down by injuries since his World Cup heroics of six years ago, gives England valuable experience and Johnson some hope that he can spark another unlikely ambush of the Wallabies.

"He's just been Jonny Wilkinson; he gets on and does what he does," Johnson said of the flyhalf's approach to his first Test since March, 2008.

What rugby's world-record international pointscorer does best is slot goal after goal, as he did with four penalties in England's 12-10 mugging of Australia in the 2007 World Cup quarter-finals in Marseilles.

Despite England's injury crisis, the Wallabies appreciate the hosts will be a more dangerous proposition with Wilkinson back in their ranks and know discipline and a functional lineout will be vital.

Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom says the tourists are preparing for Wilkinson to kick England into field position and then look to punish any Australian lapses or illegalities.

Elsom believes England would have been heartened by the fact All Blacks five-eighth Dan Carter nailed six penalties in last Saturday's 32-19 win over the Wallabies in Tokyo.

"England have had really good success with that build-to-score sort of mentality that resolves around set piece, so you'd think they're probably going to target us there," Elsom sad.

"Fair enough, if you'd watched the last game, we'd be doing the same thing.

"They'll definitely have a better chance playing that style than they did last year because Jonny's a pretty reasonable kicker.

"Danny (Cipriani) missed a few last year and he really wasn't on his game.

"I just think that they're pretty comfortable with that style so they'd be looking to play that way."

England: Ugo Monye, Mark Cueto, Dan Hipkiss, Shane Geraghty, Matt Banahan, Jonny Wilkinson, Danny Care, Jordan Crane, Lewis Moody, Tom Croft, Steve Borthwick (capt), Louis Deacon, David Wilson, Steve Thompson, Tim Payne. Reserves: Dylan Hartley, Duncan Bell, Courtney Lawes, James Haskell, Paul Hodgson, Andy Goode, Ayoola Erinle.