With the Wallabies front-row stocks depleted, greenhorn props Pekahou Cowan and Ben Daley are in a two-way battle to win the vacant loosehead role for Australia's acid Test against England on Saturday.

Coach Robbie Deans is showing unflinching faith in the rookies despite Ben Alexander joining an alarming injury list - which also includes Benn Robinson, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Stephen Moore - just one Test into the Wallabies's 20-match program.

And the New Zealander has ruled out sending an SOS for out-of-favour Test stalwarts Al Baxter and Matt Dunning.

Alexander was ruled out for four to six weeks after suffering a grade two medial ligament tear in his right knee in Australia's season-opening 49-3 rout of Fiji in Canberra on Saturday night.

He is hoping to be back for the Tri Nations but, in the meantime, Deans insists he will continue to make do with his inexperienced back-ups.

After debuting against Fiji, tighthead Salesi Ma'afu and hooker Saia Faingaa are expected to start against noted scrum lovers England, with Deans still to decide between Cowan and Daley for the loosehead role.

Cowan received 31 minutes' game time against Fiji and has been picked to start for the Australian Barbarians in Tuesday night's mid-week fixture against England in Perth, but is adamant he is up for three games in a week.

"I'd play five if I got the opportunity, definitely," Cowan said on Sunday.

Daley, the son of Manly, NSW and Australian rugby league prop Phil Daley, is also keen eager for a start, despite having just resumed full training following a triceps injury.

"My arm's fine at the moment. If given an opportunity, I'll take it with both hands," he said at the Wallabies recovery session at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Deans said he'd closely monitor Daley's progress during the week before naming his Test side on Thursday, but was adamant no-one would play if less than fully fit.

"We want these blokes to return to train to play, as opposed to simply return, put their hands up and hope to play because it just doesn't cut it in the long run," the Wallabies coach said.

"You end up lurching from crisis to crisis and they've just got to get a background of quality (preparation) to avoid that situation."

Including first-choice halfback Will Genia, who is making a quicker-than-expected recovery from a knee injury, is in the same boat.

"But we want him to be him to be 100 per cent," Deans said.

"And 100 per cent for a period of time so he's got a background of work as opposed to just being upright and keen on starting ... we don't want to expose him to risk."

Three players who definitely won't play against England are winger Adam Ashley-Cooper, who says he'll be sidelined for one or two weeks after spraining his ankle against Fiji, and veteran props Dunning and Baxter.

"The good thing is we're building a (new) generation of front-rowers," Deans said.

"These blokes have been selected on merit so, no, we don't see any need to look beyond them now and they've got the opportunity to show that in their performances."

Fijian centre Saula Radidi, meanwhile, has been handed a two-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Wallabies centre Matt Giteau in the 39th minute of Saturday's match, with fullback Taniela Rawaqa copping a one-match ban for a shoulder charge on Giteau in the 23rd minute.

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