The Wallaroos are hoping the fast nature of Brighton & Hove Stadium will aid them in their quest to take down England on Sunday.
The Australians are hunting to end the Red Roses’ 28-game winning streak, needing at least a bonus point to secure their place in the quarter-finals.
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The game is held at the home of the Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, with the hybrid surface cut down to a fine margin for last Sunday’s match against Manchester City.
Wallaroos centre Georgina Friedrichs, one of several in the team who ply their club footy trade on a similar field at Eastern Suburbs, believes it suits them perfectly.
“I think it will benefit us a lot,” she insists.
“We've got a lot of speed in the backs, so I think a fast pitch really will benefit us with the personnel we have.
“…Desi [Miller] and Maya [Stewart] are world-class finishers and obviously England have a strong forward pack so definitely planning to get the ball out wide to those guys, hopefully better than we have previously.”
The Wallaroos weren’t buying into the added noise around this game that comes with facing the hosts.
A record crowd for Rugby at the venue is expected, with tickets basically sold out, which would eclipse the mark set by the World Cup games in 2015. “We've been preparing the entire World Cup for this game. I'm really proud of the campaign we've had during this World Cup and leading into this game, pressure is a privilege,” back-rower Piper Duck said.
“You play rugby to compete, we train to compete at the highest level and to be given the opportunity to come against England, the world's best right now, and to create that upset and be that underdog. I'm really excited for it.
“Yes, there's pressure, but I'm not seeing it like that. I'm seeing it as an opportunity.
"It's an opportunity for us to go out firing and to really make an impact on Saturday and to go in that game absolutely swinging.”
