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MARSEILLE - Wallabies' skipper Stirling Mortlock is confident of making a dent in England's midfield in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final even if his injured right shoulder has not fully recovered.
Mortlock is back in the Australian side after missing the last two group wins over Fiji and Canada
while slightly dislocating the shoulder in scoring a first-half try in the 32-20 win over Wales in Cardiff on September 15.
Mortlock is one of the strongest outside centres in the game and looms as a major threat to England's defence at Stade Velodrome here on Saturday.
But the 30-year-old midfielder admitted Friday his shoulder is not 100 per cent, but he is managing it without problems.
"I wouldn't say that I am 100 per cent because I did damage the shoulder three weeks ago, but having said that the rehab and all the contact work I've done has gone really well," Mortlock told reporters after the captain's run training session at Stade Luminy.
"So I'm probably at about 99 per cent and realistically I don't think I am going to get up to 100 per cent for the rest of the tournament.
"I think the shoulder is as good as I can get it, basically it's a shoulder that I am going to get treatment for and just have to work on and manage it.
"But I have a lot of confidence in it and I've done a lot of contact work and it's back to full strength, so I've done everything I can do to get it back to as good as it can be."
Coach John Connolly said he has no concerns with Mortlock, although he expected the last 20 minutes of Saturday's sudden-death game may test his match fitness.
"I have no concerns at all over the state of Stirling's shoulder," Connolly said Friday.
"He could have played last week and fitness-wise he hasn't played for the last three weeks and the last 20 minutes of the game will be tough, but we have no worries about his injury."
There is a 25 per cent chance of rain forecast for match day, but that does not concern the Wallabies against England's forward pack.
"I don't think weather has much of an impact on how we play now," Mortlock said.
"This team has gone through a building phase over the last 12 to 18 months and through that I think we've got the ability to play in wet weather.
"Our kicking structures are a lot better now and we have three or four guys who are pretty solid kickers so that helps us."
Connolly said his team was capable of handling all weather conditions.
"We are definitely more confident in all conditions now. Eden Park (Auckland) last year was tough, windy and very wet and we were very comfortable going into that game and Berrick Barnes is quite comfortable in these conditions," he said.
- AFP
