The Wallabies will ramp up their preparations for England amid the cloud of a Collective Bargaining Agreement stalemate with Rugby Australia, after negotiations with the Rugby Union Players Association failed to deliver a deal by the Oct. 31 deadline.
Les Kiss' squad touched down in London on Saturday, heading straight to their customary Teddington base, which is just a short distance from Allianz Stadium Twickenham where the two nations will renew hostilities on Sunday afternoon [Monday morning AEDT].
Back on home soil, however, the negotiations for the next five-year CBA, which have been ongoing for months, broke down completely as the deadline approached and then passed, creating a sense of unease between RA and its player base.
"Unfortunately, we haven't reached agreement, despite making every effort to find a reasonable compromise. We put forward revised proposals and positions this week in an effort to bridge the remaining differences, but RA has confirmed the rugby bodies aren't prepared to improve their financial offer," RUPA chief executive Adrian Turner said in a statement issued to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"The players have every interest in seeing the game grow financially, and we've approached these negotiations with that firmly in mind. Equally, we have a responsibility to our members, and there are some fundamental conditions we can't compromise on. Any agreement needs to properly recognise the players' contribution to the game and provide the conditions and protections they should expect as professional athletes."
Early last month, Turner attempted to put the pressure on RA in issuing a statement that described the governing body's unwillingness to share in the $100 million windfall for hosting next year's Rugby World Cup as "unacceptable".
But RA chief executive and former Wallabies back-rower Phil Waugh has long preached the need for the game not to squander the riches borne out of last year's British and Irish Lions tour and the World Cup, repeatedly stating the game had to future proof itself.
"Rugby Australia and Australia's Super Rugby Clubs have engaged in good faith and proposed to RUPA a position that rewards today's players while protecting the communities, pathways and high-performance systems that will produce all the generations to come," Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh said in a statement.
"Rugby Australia has transparently and consistently provided RUPA's leadership with the game's current and future financials, which form the basis of the position put forward by RA and the SRCs.
"In addition, RA has requested on several occasions to speak directly with the players to convey its position. These requests have been rejected by RUPA."
While the two parties have moved closed together from a point where they were said to be "10s of millions apart" it still wasn't at a point that satisfied RUPA, who Turner says will now turn to the courts to seek a resolution.
"I can confirm that we've formally notified RA of our intention to commence legal proceedings concerning the commercial use of player rights following the expiry of the CBA." Turner told the Daily Telegraph.
While the threat of strike action is not expected, Wallabies players could choose to vent their frustration by refusing to wear sponsored kit at press conferences or rejecting media commitments completely.
That, too, feels unlikely with Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson and new coach Les Kiss having worked hard to continue the sense of harmony former coach Joe Schmidt was able to foster following the disastrous 10-month Eddie Jones era.
On the field, Kiss will continue to weigh up his playmaking options for the opening Test of the second Nations Championship block, with each of Declan Meredith, Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson available for selection.
In further good news, Paris-based prop Taniela Tupou played the entire 80 minutes in Racing 92's 37-30 defeat by the Clermont on Saturday, the tighthead emerging unscathed in his fourth match of the league season.
But Tom Hooper did not play in Exeter's three-point Premiership loss to the Harlequins, after picking up a knock on his troublesome shoulder a week earlier.
Wallabies coach Les Kiss told reporters on Friday Hooper would join the squad in London on Monday after scans had revealed he had not suffered any structural damage to his shoulder, but the utility forward may need another week to recover from this latest setback regardless.
The Wallabies enter the clash with England on the back of two straight Bledisloe Cup defeats having previously built an unbeaten record under Kiss beforehand.
Australia lost last year's Test with England 25-7 on a night when they failed to deal with England's aerial assault, a strategy that also reaped huge rewards for the All Blacks' in their back-to-back Bledisloe thrashings.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who starred at outside centre on debut against England two years ago, could well return to the wing with Len Ikitau again fit, while Josh Canham is expected to return to the starting side after coming off the bench in Bledisloe II. Angus Bell is also tipped to return to the run-on XV after he too was named among the replacements ahead of the 43-21 loss in Sydney.