An "excited" Tim Rodber will re-launch his England career on Saturday as a novice lock forward, after 32 caps in the back row. The switch means Rodber will face Australia's renowned lineout giant John Eales at Twickenham.
England coach Clive Woodward pushed Rodber on as a second row substitute in the World Cup qualifying matches against Holland and Italy at Huddersfield last week and was delighted with the experiment.
Rodber and winger Tony Underwood return to the starting line-up for the first time since suffering injuries last season, with Woodward reverting to his "favourite back row" of Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard Hill and Neil Back.
Dallaglio returns after two weeks out with a twisted knee and Hill is fit again following a back operation.
Out go winger Dan Luger, who scored a try in both World Cup games, Garath Archer, Ben Clarke and Martin Corry.
Northampton captain Rodber missed the end of last season after picking up a knee injury in the League Cup semi-final against Saracens, and was also ruled out of the disastrous summer tour of the Southern Hemisphere.
"When I went on as a substitute against Italy it felt like my first cap all over again," he said.
"Now, it's just a question of getting out there and getting on with it."
Woodward said: "Tim has so much potential at lock. It is a big task for him but we will find out if he can do it now. We will know in the next few days whether he can hack it at this level.
"Tim creates a back five and has tremendous ball-handling skills. I believe that in terms of scrum and lineout Tim is the best there is under current circumstances."
England (v Australia, Twickenham): M Perry (Bath); T Underwood (Newcastle), W Greenwood (Leicester), J Guscott (Bath), A Healey (Leicester); P Grayson (Northampton), M Dawson (Northampton); J Leonard (Harlequins), R Cockerill (Leicester), D Garforth (Leicester), M Johnson (Leicester), T Rodber (Northampton), L Dallaglio (Wasps, capt), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester).
Replacements: N Beal (Northampton), M Catt (Bath), D Luger (Harlequins), M Corry (Leicester), D Grewcock (Saracens), G Rowntree (Leicester), P Greening (Gloucester).
Scotland (v Portugal, World Cup qualifying match at Murrayfield): G Townsend (Brive); K Logan (Wasps), J Mayer (Edinburgh Reivers), J Leslie (Glasgow Caledonians), C Murray (Edinburgh Reivers); D Hodge (Edinburgh Reivers), B Redpath (Edinburgh Reivers, capt); T Smith (Glasgow Caledonians), G Bulloch (Glasgow Caledonians), D Hilton (Bath), S Murray (Bedford), D Weir (Newcastle Falcons), M Leslie (Edinburgh Reivers), E Peters (Bath), B Pountney (Northampton).
Replacements: S Longstaff (Glasgow Caledonians), A Tait (Edinburgh Reivers), G Armstrong (Newcastle Falcons), R Wainwright (Glasgow Caledonians), S Grimes (Glasgow Caledonians), P Burnell (London Scottish), S Brotherstone (Edinburgh Reivers).
