Michael Hooper: "We've put some really nice things in place" © Getty Images

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Matches: England 26 - 17 Australia

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England are stinging from a rocky run of results against some of the world's best teams, and Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper knows exactly how it feels. "Welcome to our world," Hooper said as two nations in desperate need of a win prepare to clash in a season-ending blockbuster at Twickenham.

The battle for the Cook Cup is always intense but the 43rd meeting between Australia and England carries added significance in more ways than one. Saturday's Test match is a precursor to the 2015 Rugby World Cup pool meeting at the same venue, but it also represents the final chance to salvage worrying November campaigns. Both sides have lost five of their past six Tests, with the Wallabies facing the prospect of their worst European tour in nine years.

Hooper believes successive defeats by Ireland and France have masked Australia's true progress under Michael Cheika, but he says victory in the tour finale will provide tangible evidence. And he knows England will be out for the same, with four of Stuart Lancaster's side's past five defeats coming at the hands of all-conquering New Zealand.

"We've had two losses in a row now, so for us to get the pay-off of a win after five really hard weeks on tour will probably be the major reward," Hooper said. "The English had to play the All Blacks three times in a row, then come over here and face more southern hemisphere teams straight off the bat. That's what we're used to. [The results] are probably an unfair assessment on how they've been playing."

Hooper rejected suggestions that Saturday's match doubles as a World Cup trial, saying there's plenty of rugby still to be played. But he insists the Wallabies have many positives to take into next year from their foray under Cheika, who took on the job in the wake of the text message scandal that saw Ewen McKenzie resign.

"The results haven't been there but we've done a lot of good work on this trip," Hooper said. "We've done a lot of good work off the field and the training has been immaculate. We've put some really nice things in place."