James Roby believes the England squad have prepared well for the "tough task" of playing Australia on Saturday.
Hooker hoping playing at famous stadium can spur on hosts
James Roby insists the England squad are ready for the "tough task" of playing against Australia at Wembley on Saturday.
Steve McNamara's troops go into the mouthwatering contest in the capital off the back of comfortable wins over France and Wales in the past fortnight.
However they can expect a much, much harder contest this weekend against the Kangaroos in the second game of a double-header at the famous stadium, with Wales taking on New Zealand beforehand.
While acknowledging that the Australians, who opened their campaign with a victory over the Kiwis at the Halliwell Jones Stadium last Friday, are heavy favourites, Roby is upbeat over England's chances of success.
"Preparation is going really well," he said. "We've got brilliant facilities and there are some new staff this year to help with conditioning etc. Training is going well and the more time we spend together, the more the combinations are starting to gel.
"Things improved from the France game and hopefully we can improve again from Wales and take it into the Australia game.
"We know what a tough task it's going to be. They are a quality side and we will have to be at the top of our game but I'm confident we're fully capable of beating them."
Head coach McNamara and his backroom staff have left no stone unturned in their preparation of the England team at their Loughborough University training camp.
Weaknesses
Roby believes that they have unearthed a few weaknesses in the Kangaroos side which featured in the 26-12 victory over New Zealand.
"Every team in the world has its weaknesses and the coaching staff have picked a few things out for us to look at," he said.
"But we're under no illusions about how difficult it will be. They are such a quality team, they're probably the most experienced squad in the tournament."
The St Helens hooker is also hoping that the added boost of playing at Wembley can help the hosts to glory, particularly as 19 of England's 24-man squad have played there for their clubs in the past four years.
In contrast, only Australia skipper Darren Lockyer has previously experienced running out at the national stadium, the half-back having featured against Great Britain in the 1997 Super League Test series.
"It's such a special place and has an association with rugby league going back to the old Wembley," Roby said.
"It's a huge honour to play there and hopefully there will be a big crowd to help make it really intimidating.
"A bit of familiarity might work in our favour. We'll take every little advantage we can but on the pitch is where we will need to do our talking."
