Varndell set for Sydney clash

Tom Varndell is keen to help England to their third away win over the Wallabies.

Tom Varndell is keen to forget his Twickenham nightmare when he lines up to face Australia on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1.

The Leicester wing has already enjoyed a sensational season, following two high-profile awards, a Commonwealth Games silver medal and a try-scoring England debut.

However, the memory that lingers in his mind is Leicester's recent 45-20 defeat to Sale in their second Premiership play-off final defeat in two years at Twickenham.

"I was pretty down after the game, as were all the boys," admitted Varndell, who starts against the Wallabies on the right wing, following an injury to Gloucester's James Simpson-Daniel.

"It was a bit of a smack in the face, because not much went right in that game either for myself or for the team. It was a horrible situation to be in.

"I am sure I will dwell on it after the season has finished, but I am here to concentrate on Sunday."

Andy Robinson initially favoured Simpson-Daniel and Tom Voyce to head the attack in the Telstra Stadium, as England seek only their third victory over the Wallabies on Australian soil, but Simpson-Daniel's injury jinx saw the opportunity for Varndell to make his first Test start seven months after making his debut from the bench against Samoa.

"It was a shock, and I feel for James, but it is a case of getting on with it and trying to take the opportunity with both hands," said the 20-year-old.

"I was very disappointed not be involved in the team initially when it was announced to the players last week, and I was a bit down, but I just got on with my training and trained as best as I could.

"It is my first start, and it is against Australia in Australia, so I don't think it gets much bigger than that.

"I am not as nervous as I was before the Samoa game. I have had a whole season playing for Leicester, and playing in big games, which has helped, but I don't think anything can prepare you for being told three days before a Test match you are going to be starting."

Varndell has already faced two of Australia's dangermen, lining up against opposite number Lote Tuqiri and full-back Chris Latham in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

"Playing against the likes of Tuqiri and Latham in the Commonwealth Games was a stepping stone towards bigger games like this one," Varndell added.

"I know they are not going to give me much space, but we have got the ball players in the team to hopefully create one or two opportunities."

Meanwhile, England coach Andy Robinson is not expecting Sunday's game to be as one-sided as the last encounter.

The England forwards dominated the Wallabies' pack at Twickenham last November, the front row embarrassing their opposite numbers, leading England to a 26-16 victory that reflected kindly upon the visitors.

"It is six months since the last time we played so there is no great psychological advantage for us," said Robinson.

"They have a new coaching set-up and I expect a very different Australia side."

Robinson admitted that England should have won the game by a greater margin, and suggested that a lack of ruthlessness is an aspect of England's game that has been a problem of late, and needs to be addressed in the two-Test series Down Under.

"I want us to be more clinical at putting teams away," he said. "It's about creating and taking opportunities, something we didn't do in the Six Nations."

Robinson is hoping that his inexperienced side can put a disappointing Six Nations campaign, in which they won just two of their five games, behind them and build on the talent of individuals to make a successful team. He is looking forward to seeing some of the youngsters prove themselves on the international stage.

Lock Alex Brown, scrum-half Peter Richards and flanker Magnus Lund make their debuts, while Varndell, centre Matthew Tait and lock Louis Deacon have only six caps between them, but Robinson insists that their time is right.

"We've got to find out about these players some time and this is a great opportunity for them to show what they can do. We have great pace in the backs and a mobile pack of forwards."

Meanwhile, England captain Pat Sanderson, scrum-half Richards and replacement fly-half Andy Goode missed training on Wednesday to rest minor injuries but are confident of being fit for the weekend.