Either way, the clash between Australia and England at Twickenham on Saturday night (Sunday morning AEST) will be arguably the biggest match between the countries since the 2003 World Cup final.

If England lose, they will be the first host nation to be embarrassingly eliminated in the group stages in World Cup history.

But a win will restore their hopes and England, Australia and Wales will be locked in a pool of death battle to advance to the quarter-finals.

The two Wallabies coaches who have suffered World Cup heartbreak at the hands of England spoke to Fairfax Media to break down the blockbuster clash to see where the match will be won.

Eddie Jones was in charge for the 2003 final when Jonny Wilkinson slotted an extra-time drop goal while John Connolly had the reins when England's scrum demolished Australia's hopes four years later.

THE 'POOPER' FACTOR

Specialist openside flankers David Pocock and Michael Hooper will get a chance to cause breakdown havoc when they team up for just the third time in the clash against England.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said their form made it impossible for him to break with convention to adopt a new game plan with Pocock shifting to No.8.

In comparison, England does not possess an established No.7 with breakdown skills, Jones describing England captain Chris Robshaw as a "six and a half" in positional terms.

The problem for the Wallabies comes at lineout time with Pocock and Hooper less adept at the set piece.

"The breakdown is the conundrum for England – if they kick, they give the ball to [Israel] Folau. If they keep it in play, they've got Hooper and Pocock hitting them at the breakdown," Jones said.

"But if England kick the ball into touch, they have the lineout advantage because with Pocock and Hooper there's one less jumper for Australia."

Jones picked specialist No.7s George Smith and Phil Waugh to start the 2003 final and it worked for the majority of the match.

Connolly went the other way four years later in a quarter-final clash against England, opting to start Smith and inject Waugh from the bench.

"I don't think we can be fooled into thinking we have a huge advantage at the breakdown … but it's the way I would go. They're our best two players," Connolly said. "They're completely different to the Smith-Waugh combination. The worry is in the lineout, it's been a bit creaky this year and that's a concern."

THE HOME-TOWN PRESSURE

Connolly joked that England players will need to go "straight to the airport" if they lose the match and suffer the embarrassment of being knocked in the group stages.

Jones, who is now coach of Japan, described the match as the biggest between Australia and England since 2003 and believes Cheika will ensure the Wallabies are focused.

"The embarrassment of England losing is potentially massive, so it's a huge game. England were brutal against Australia in 2007 at the World Cup, but Cheika won't allow them to be on the back foot this time," Jones said.

Connolly echoed Jones' view, but said the perception that England was playing poorly was ill advised.

The hosts got a bonus-point win against Fiji in the opener and led for the majority of the clash against Wales before their hopes were dashed at the end.

"The weight of expectation is massive on them and they have to react to that.

"If they lose, they'll have to go straight to the airport, no one turns like the English press. But they're not playing badly, they were the better side for most of the game against Wales, so you can't just expect them to be off their game."

THE LEAGUE CONVERTS – BURGESS AND FOLAU

The fortunes of two NRL converts couldn't be more different. Folau is shouldering the hopes of the Wallabies as their attacking star eight years after he won his first rugby league grand final with the Melbourne Storm.

Burgess continues to divide opinion in England, with some former players slamming his involvement in the World Cup campaign and others backing him as the X-factor exactly one year after his South Sydney grand final heroics.

Burgess was promoted to the starting XV against Wales last week in just his fourth Test, but has been dropped to the bench to play Australia.

"Folau is one of those once-in-a lifetime freaks … he discourages teams from kicking to him and that works in Australia's favour," Jones said.

"I think England made a massive selection error [with Burgess], they should have played him in the Six Nations if they thought he was good enough.

"He's nowhere near Sonny Bill Williams but he's very impressive and gives them a point of difference."

THE SCRUM

Cheika has challenged the England scrum to try to bully the Wallabies pack, declaring "talk is cheap" after No.8 Ben Morgan said the hosts planned to dominate physically.

England's scrum has a long history of causing nightmares for the Wallabies.

The set piece was the deciding factor in the quarter-final eight years ago and it was back to its best in beating the Wallabies at Twickenham last year.

But Connolly believes the England pack is stumbling and it won't play as big a role as it did when his team was bundled out of World Cup contention.

"Our scrum has to stand up, but England isn't as good as they were in 2007 when they had Phil Vickery and Andrew Sheridan – two massive men," Connolly said.

"I'd be happy to take parity in the lineout and scrum if I was Australia. In 2007 there was only one way they were going to attack us and we had to survive.

"But I don't think the English scrum is quite the weapon it was, the game won't be won or lost there."

Jones said starting Wallabies props Sekope Kepu and Scott Sio had "improved enormously".

"England might have a marginal scrum advantage, but not as big as it has been historically," Jones said.

"The problem is the Wallabies still have off scrums and that's where they get caught. If the ball is in play a lot, Australia will have far too much with their ability to play off the cuff."

CHEIKA v LANCASTER

England coach Stuart Lancaster is set to feel the heat if the hosts suffer a humiliating elimination.

He has been in charge since 2012 and has been building a squad capable of challenging for the World Cup.

To not even fire a shot in the tournament would be a disaster and his job would be under the microscope.

Cheika is only 11 Tests into his Wallabies career after taking the job from Ewen McKenzie last year.

The biggest challenge is whether he's had enough time to make his mark on the Wallabies.

"Cheika's done a fantastic job," Jones said.

"They've got the third-most experienced squad in the tournament, they're ready to win."

WALLABIES PICK AND STICK

Wallabies jumpers have been like rotating doors for the past two months as Cheika settles on his best line-up.

He has reverted to the combinations that won Australia the opening Bledisloe Cup match in August, but that team has played just two games together.

"I just hope we're match hardened enough. Our team didn't play the last game of the Bledisloe or against America and we looked scratchy against Fiji. I hope we timed our run well," Connelly said.

"World Cup matches … you tend to lose them rather than win them. It's on the back of unforced errors, gaps you leave that they capitalise on."