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Maro Itoje insists England they aim to gain a psychological advantage ahead of next year’s World Cup by sending Australia on Sunday at the Allianz Stadium.
The rivals clash for the final time before a scheduled quarter-final clash in Sydney on October 31, as the countdown to the global exhibition hosted by the Wallabies continues.
England are also looking to improve on a disappointing 2026 that saw them lose five in eight Tests when the second phase of the Nations begins, culminating in the final weekend on November 27 and 29.
“Every game is new, but there’s no doubt that against teams you’re going to play down the line, you want them to know you’ve got their number,” captain Itoje said.
“We want to win this weekend for the sake of this weekend, but we also want to win because we don’t want to give an inch to the opposition.
“These are the games that get your blood pumping and you realize that’s a big one. In terms of where we want to go and do well in this competition, we want to address the inconsistencies of the Six Nations.”
“We want to show the England fans that we have turned the corner. That’s why this game is huge.
“I have full confidence that the public, England fans and our families and friends in the stands will see a team that fights for each other, gives their all, is aggressive and takes the game to Australia.
“We want to set the tone for how this fall will go and show the public what this team is all about.”
England say they have all the ammunition they need to deliver against Australia after they reacted furiously to a newspaper report published on Thursday that said there was unrest in the squad during the July tour as head coach Steve Borthwick’s management style created a toxic environment.
Jamie George, who captained the summer Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina, declared “when someone comes after one of ours, we will fight to protect them” – a view echoed by Itoje.
“I can say with a clear heart that Steve has not lost faith in us players,” said Itoje. “We support him 100 percent.
“We want to play for Steve, we want to represent him in a way that matches the quality of his coach. We’ll have to use everything to make sure we do the job.”
Itoje was rested for the July tour, but he was returned to the second row in the first row because he got the summer off for the first time since 2014.
Revitalized by the break and boosted by the birth of his first child, Moses, who will be in attendance at Twickenham, Itoje is keen to make his mark once more.
“I’m ready to go,” British and Irish Lions said the skipper. “While it was good to have that time to like the release of stress and strain, I also missed being around them and wearing that shirt.”
