Ex-England star ready to help Australia triumph at Twickenham after swapping sides

Geoff Parling, once an England regular, is now part of an Australian coaching ticket looking to secure victory at Twickenham as he returns home with plans to down the English

The last time Geoff Parling played at Twickenham he was part of an English side that were dumped out of the World Cup by Australia.

Now he's back as part of the Wallabies outfit, who will hope that England are again licking their wounds again - only this time he'll be smiling if history does repeat itself. Australia haven't won in south west London since their victory nine years ago - which ended England's hopes at their own World Cup.

The Wallabies are not at the level they were then. In 2015 they made the World Cup final. Less than a year ago they suffered their first ever pool stage exit at a World Cup. As a result there was a coaching upheaval with Parling part of a new look coaching group led by Joe Schmidt, the ex-Ireland head coach.

Parling headed to Melbourne to play for six months in the latter part of his career but has remained Down Under and ventured into coaching. The team's Northern Hemisphere tour has allowed him to come home for a brief moment, but it won't be a happy homecoming if the Australians get turned over.

He said: “It's great being back, it’s also great seeing people, friends, family, but I'm here to do a job. I'm here to help the team perform for the next four games that start on Saturday. I could say it's great to see all the places again, but if we don't perform at the weekend, I certainly won't feel like that.”

Parling was part of immensely successful teams at Leicester and Exeter, playing under the likes of Richard Cockerill and Rob Baxter, two Premiership-winning coaches. He's been able to pick up elements from them and this Australian coaching group have themselves a huge remit with the Lions Tour and then a home World Cup coming in the next three years.

The 41-year-old said: "Coaching is an all consuming job, especially if you're invested in it, which most coaches are. In terms of the project, we know we have to graft really hard to keep building. If we get the team going well other things will follow. Next year's Lions tour and our World Cup are big projects for the country. We've got to make sure we're competitive, and win some games here.”

England have beaten Australia in ten of their 11 meetings since that World Cup disappointment in 2015. The Wallabies are very much in a rebuild phase - and that is going to include some painful moments. A record 67-27 loss in Argentina this summer was one of them.

Australia and Parling though are confident brighter times are ahead. One man who could help that is Joseph Sua'ali'i - the latest rugby league to union convert who has made plenty of headlines in his homeland.

Long renowned as a freakish athlete coming through the school system, where he played plenty of rugby union. He eventually opted for league but has returned from the Sydney Roosters. An international debut could come this weekend with plenty expected of Sua'ali'i despite his tender age and limited experience.

"He's looking good, been really impressed with him," said Parling. "An incredible athlete. Different in that some guys are fresh into this environment, not used to big games, but he is. I can't be more impressed with he's been so far.

That is one take away Parling has from his time in Melbourne. Having gone from the north to the south of England earlier in life, he's now getting to sample the Australian lifestyle and sees the level of athleticism that exists in the country, with his job now to harness that.

He said: "There are some great athletes and great players in Australia. If I was going to say is there a difference in the population there and the population here - I'd say the population there move slightly better. I don't know whether that's there outdoor lifestyle. We've got some good athletes, but can we put them all together as a coaching group."

With little interest in making life complicated for himself Parling knows his job is simply. "My role is - that player there, can I make him better," he said. The first test of whether he's achieving that goal will come on Saturday afternoon.

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