He has just been given licence to pick one of the finest backs of the era for the World Cup, but Michael Cheika is more pre-occupied with the denigration of his Wallaby pack. Toulon playmaker Matt Giteau could be a glorious asset at the showpiece tournament after Australia’s policy against picking players based abroad was relaxed this week, but one thing he can’t do is anchor the scrum. The national coach refuses to bite back, but he has evidently noted and logged claims from these parts that his forwards will be cannon fodder for their English and Welsh rivals, amid the three-way tussle for qualification from daunting Pool A. Australia head coach Michael Cheika is aware that his pack is being written off for the World Cup . Cheika's side will face England and Wales in crunch pool games at the tournament in September . England's pack demolished Australia at scrum-time during last November's 26-17 victory at Twickenham . In fact, many of the claims have come from these pages. Speaking to Sportsmail from Sydney, Cheika repeatedly name-checked a certain knight of the realm and columnist of this newspaper, among the voices arguing that the green-and-gold pack will be smashed into submission. ‘It has been pretty well reported here that Clive Woodward and others have said that England are going to take us apart in the forwards,’ he said. ‘That’s what we’ve been hearing. I understand that they will have a lot of confidence in their forwards to take us on, but I think you discount the English backs at your peril, because they have some very powerful runners. In Ben Youngs, Care and Wigglesworth, they have three half-backs who will challenge the line every time. ‘Joseph looks like a nice player and they’ve got some good options in midfield now. Tuilagi will come back into it, they have Barritt too and big Sam (Burgess) might even get a run soon enough, as he grows into the game. Ford has done well for England at 10, they’ve got fast wingers and I’m a big fan of Mike Brown at full-back. There are a variety of threats that we will have to deal with.’ Cheika’s admiration for England’s attacking runners behind the scrum is part of the former Leinster coach’s overall assertion that the European nations are just as adept at playing an open game as their southern rivals, when conditions allow. But his repeated references to the pre-tournament dismissal of his pack suggest that there will be a strong emphasis on the set piece in particular during the World Cup countdown over the summer. Toulon playmaker Matt Giteau (left) is set to feature for the Wallabies at the World Cup . ‘Commentators in the UK are saying we won’t be able to match it with England and Wales in the forwards,’ he reiterated. ‘They’re saying that it’s a shame to waste the talent in our backs. There’s been a fair bit of that coming out, but we’re working hard to make up ground in that area. ‘Clive Woodward – who is not just your average spectator – says we won’t be able to compete with the English scrum. For us, it’s about having a clear philosophy about how we want to do it then practising a lot. We will aim to be at our best in every single scrum.’ According to Cheika, the epic final day of this year’s Six Nations – truly ‘Super Saturday’ – gave a vivid demonstration to viewers Down Under about the threat to the Wallabies from England and Wales. ‘Both those sides are shaping up well,’ he said. ‘England will be on home soil and the Welsh will be much closer to home than we will be. I’m sure they will be fancying their chances against us. Most people are looking at us as the ones who will be in the most trouble, but we will relish it and enjoy it. ‘England and Wales will be feeling good about themselves after the Six Nations. The performance by Wales against Italy in their final game was incredible. I was watching it until it was 13-12 and it was the wee small hours here so I went to bed. When I woke up, they had won by 50! When they needed to, they were able to do that and that is very confidence-building.’ As a long-standing fan of rugby league, Cheika is well aware of Sam Burgess’s potential to make a major impact in his new code, once he has come through the transition phase. He is preparing for the Bath player to be unleashed against Australia; a country where he is revered in light of his title-winning exploits for the Rabbitohs in Sydney. Cheika has cited Ben Youngs (left) and Danny Care as dangerous No 9's who challenge the advantage line . Jonathan Joseph (second left) was superb for Stuart Lancaster's side throughout the RBS 6 Nations . ‘I believe that he will be picked and that England will use him as a weapon off the bench with 10 or 15 minutes to go,’ he said. ‘He is a class footballer – a quality player and athlete. He’s aggressive too, which he showed with the way he played in the rugby league Grand Final here last year. ‘You would have him involved just for his mental approach and the way he takes the game on. There are going to be some tough calls, but just the fact that he is in the reckoning at all – even though he’s only been in union a few months and had never played it before – is positive for him.’ In contrast to his Kiwi counterpart, Steve Hansen, who is concerned that rugby is becoming boring, Cheika is expecting an ‘awesome’ World Cup with an emphasis on try-scoring, thanks in part to the improved pitches at leading grounds here such as Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium. ‘It is like playing on a carpet,’ he said. ‘It makes teams a lot more confident to play positive footy.’ Australia should be able to play positively, with their backline enhanced by the presence of Giteau – who had been in Test exile since moving to Toulon in 2011. Cheika confirmed yesterday that he met the 32-year-old recently, prior to the announcement of the ARU’s historic policy change and believes that he can add utility value to the Wallaby squad. ‘As far as I know, Matt Giteau has played No 9 there, on the odd occasion,’ he said. ‘His strength is at No 10 and No 12 obviously.’ There will be reinforcements up front too, with veteran flanker George Smith another exile now back on the radar. He could find himself competing against a fit and revitalised David Pocock, and Michael Hooper – vying with hooker Stephen Moore for the captaincy – for the openside berth. With such pedigree in just one position, Australia’s pack cannot be written off lightly. Cheika will use the jibes from afar to make sure his side are ready for the ‘Pool of Death’. England full back Mike Brown rises high to claim a high ball despite the attention of Noa Nakaitaci . Cheika is convinced Burgess will feature for England at the World Cup despite his quiet start in union . David Pocock is set to return to lead Australia after struggling with injury over the past three seasons .
Australia will face England and Wales in Pool A at the World Cup.
The Wallabies pack was taken apart by England at Twickenham last year.
Michael Cheika cites Mike Brown and Jonathan Joseph as key threats.
Sam Burgess will feature for England at tournament, says Cheika.
Cheika met Matt Giteau this week to discuss his involvement.