Dallaglio: Thompson experience vital

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Thompson will earn his 49th cap on Saturday - three years after his last England start - and goes into the match having triumphed over the Australians four times in his seven-year international career.

"He's one of the few players in the side that has beaten Australia. Not just once, but on a regular basis and he'll bring great leadership quality as well," said former England captain Dallaglio.

"The best thing is that he knows what it takes to get to the top of the world.

"Through no fault of their own, there's not a lot of players in that England squad who know or have ever breathed the rarefied air of being the best team in the world and he can sit down and explain to any of those players what it takes from a fitness point of view, what it takes mentally and physically to get there.

"He can tell them all the things they want to know because he worked very hard to get there, so I think that's a really good selection and I'm glad he's in the squad."