England coach Andy Robinson says it's not only the Wallabies' rugby skills his side will need to watch out for, apparently it's their AFL skills as well.

Robinson said players like Lote Tuqiri improved their ability under the high-ball through exposure to the home-grown game.

But an Australian team spokesman confirmed that ex-rugby league player Tuqiri had never played Australian Rules.

"One thing that concerns me is their kicking game," Robinson told the England Rugby Football Union website.

"They used it once in the World Cup final and scored and I expect them to kick for the corners and to kick for the wings.

"A lot of their players like Lote Tuqiri are very good in the air because of their roots in AFL."

An England side full of unfamiliar faces trained in Sydney on Monday for Sunday's Telstra Stadium clash and reported no injury problems.

Robinson said he was expecting a strong set-piece challenge from the new Australian coaching regime.

"We knew the Wallabies would pick a strong squad that typifies what (coach) John Connolly and (forwards coach) Mike Foley want to do with a big tight five," Robinson said.

"We're preparing for a battle at the set-piece and at the scrums and lineouts.

"You only have to look at the way (Connolly-coached English side) Bath have performed in the last five years to know they'll be very effective defensively and they'll have four or five jumpers in the lineout."

Robinson said Australia's backs coach, former Wales caretaker Scott Johnson, would bring a balance to the side between running and tough rugby.

"Scott Johnson will have a terrific influence on how Australia play," he said.

"They'll be tough and uncompromising when needed but they'll also play with width and flair."

The England mentor said last November's 24-16 win over the Wallabies at Twickenham had been closer than reports suggested.

"That game was still wide open going into the last 15 minutes in November at 19-16 until Mark Cueto scored late in the game," he said.

"What we have to do is to concentrate for the full 80 minutes.

"The key message is that we've got 16 games now in 16 months to the next World Cup and each player involved on Sunday has a fantastic opportunity to put their hand up for that.

"They need to show that ruthlessness we need to take the chance."

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