RUGBY: Gloucester captain Billy Twelvetrees gets England start

Lancaster has opted to go with Twelvetrees instead of the out-of-form Owen Farrell at inside centre for the QBE International with George Ford getting another chance at fly-half.

"Owen will play a different role off the bench this week - at 10 or 12," said Lancaster. ""We know we can use him in both positions.

"He accepted it well. He's a great professional and he's very team focussed. He accepted that George (Ford) had played well and that he's not on top form.

"He will contribute from the bench and then go away and work hard with Saracens. I'm sure he will be back."

Farrell has been an ever-present for England since the summer tour to South Africa two years ago with Lancaster's steadfast belief in him as a "Test match animal" unwavering until this week.

But having started at fly-half against the All Blacks and Springboks and inside centre against Samoa, Farrell's lack of form has been evident and raised concerns over his fitness after struggling with a thigh injury earlier this season.

Lancaster came under pressure to axe Farrell after South Africa had prevailed at Twickenham and was subsequently forced to deny the player was undroppable.

Twelvetrees impressed as a second-half replacement in the 28-9 victory over Samoa and Lancaster added: "Billy's application in training and the way he has worked on his game is the reason he's got the nod.

"Owen has not been quite as consistent as he (Twelvetrees) has been. It's good to be able to give Billy his first start of the series. He deserves his chance."

Lancaster also believes Ford deserves a chance to build on his promising showing against Samoa.

"I think we will learn a huge amount from this game - not just about George, but also (wing) Anthony Watson.

"George and Anthony will be tested at a level they've never been at before. The Australian backline is high quality right across the board.

"Managing a game like this is a big thing to put on George's shoulders. We know what a talent he is and this will test him at the next level."

Two further changes have been made to the starting XV that dispatched Samoa with Northampton forwards Dylan Hartley and Tom Wood restored to the pack.

Hartley replaces Rob Webber at hooker after being punished by Lancaster with demotion to the bench for receiving a brainless yellow card against the Springboks and Wood swaps places with James Haskell at blindside flanker.

Lancaster said Wood's stamina had played a big part in his return to the starting line-up.

"He got the nod because the tempo of the game will be high. The Australians have a high ball in play time and Tom's engine is one of the best in our squad.

"He is also a good leader. He wasn't too happy at not being picked last week but everyone can have their turn on bench. Last week he was a bit frustrated - this week he starts."

Webber and Haskell are among the replacements with Lancaster having named an unchanged matchday 23.

"The Samoa game gave us the opportunity to give James and Rob a start and they made a good contribution," Lancaster said.

"Tom and Dylan were disappointed not to be in the XV last week and they are desperate to go out and perform on Saturday so that we finish the series on a high."

The stakes are high in Saturday's climax to the autumn at Twickenham with England needing to topple Australia to salvage respectability from an otherwise disappointing QBE Series.

The defeats by New Zealand and South Africa extended the team's losing run to five matches and while the mounting pressure was relieved with success against Samoa, the outlook for the month hinges on the result against the Wallabies.

Lancaster admitted he will be watching with interest to see how Sam Burgess fares on his Bath debut against Harlequins on Friday night.

Burgess recently recovered from a fractured cheekbone sustained in his final rugby league game for South Sydney Rabbitohs and has been named on the Bath bench for the clash.

"It will be fascinating to see how he goes," said Lancaster.