Powerhouse hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau has been rushed back from injury and is in line to help shore up the Wallabies' demolished scrum in the second Test against England.

Australia ensured they would retain the Cook Cup with a gutsy 27-17 first Test win at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night but they face a massive task to ensure there's no repeat of the set-piece slaughter which earned the tourists two pushover penalty tries.

Polota-Nau has been named to make his return from shoulder and ankle injuries for the Australian Barbarians in Tuesday night's tour match against England at Gosford in a strong indicator he'll line up in the return Test at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

"He's champing at the bit," coach Robbie Deans said of the 25-Test rake who excelled for NSW in the Super 14.

With just two caps between them, rookies Ben Daley, Saia Faingaa and Salesi Ma'afu were monstered by the English front-row and the Wallabies pack crumbled in the second half to let a 14-0 lead slip to 21-17 with 10 minutes left.

They were also a man down after Welsh referee Nigel Owens sin-binned Ma'afu for repeated scrum collapses shortly before whistling England's second penalty try.

But Deans - who was rapt by all other facets of the Wallabies' play - will continue to bank on youth in the injury absence of first choice props Benn Robinson and Ben Alexander and leave overlooked veterans Al Baxter and Matt Dunning out in the cold.

"On the day we got up and that's all that matters," he said. "Our group will be a lot better for that, and they will come out of that with a much better understanding.

"We'll be wiser for it and we're looking forward to having another dig."

A solid Barbarians display by the 113kg Polota-Nau should see him replace Faingaa while Deans admitted 21-year-old debutant James Slipper could start ahead of Ma'afu following a fine 15-minute cameo off the bench.

It would cap an amazingly rapid rise by Slipper who only started his first Super 14 match for Queensland in their final-round win over the Highlanders last month.

Scrum coach Patricio Noriega on Sunday ominously declared more hard work for his developing pack in a closed training session on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite being handed a lesson by the English, former Test prop Ewen McKenzie backed Deans' support for the rookie props.

The Reds coach, who has brought through Daley and Slipper, recalled there were calls for sackings when he, Phil Kearns and Tony Daly conceded a penalty try to the All Blacks in their fourth Test together in 1990.

"That could have been our career but then we beat them in the next Test in Wellington and went on to win the World Cup the next year," McKenzie said.

Deans also has a dilemma at No.12 with Matt Giteau declaring he's ready to return from a hip problem which opened the door for Berrick Barnes to produce a strong game at inside centre, particularly in defence.

"It's a tricky one because (Giteau) never anticipated we'd rule him out in the first instant," he said. "It deteriorated through the week but it's not significant."

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