England youngster Sam Tomkins is planning to run rings around Australia captain Darren Lockyer in Saturday's Gillette Four Nations showdown at Wigan - but hopes the Kangaroo great will still swap shirts afterwards.

While Lockyer will equal the record of Clive Churchill by leading the Kangaroos for a 27th time, 20-year-old Tomkins will play the biggest match of his fledgling career when he runs out for England on his home ground.

Tomkins' call-up, in place of teenage scrum-half Richie Myler, is the main change to the side that got the tournament off to a less-than-impressive start with a 34-12 win over France in Doncaster last Friday.

Super League's young player of the year will partner Leeds' Danny McGuire at half-back against the vastly-experienced pair of Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston.

"It seems a bit weird thinking about that," confessed Tomkins.

"You want to improve by playing against the best, and there are not many better than Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston.

"You pick bits off other players, and there is definitely stuff I'd like to learn off Lockyer. I hope he'll swap shirts with me at the end - I wouldn't mind that!"

Tomkins was discarded by England coach Tony Smith, despite scoring a hat-trick of tries on debut against Wales a fortnight ago. But he never gave up hope of a recall and received the public backing of, among others, former Great Britain scrum-half Alex Murphy.

"It feels a bit weird people even talking about you," he said.

"Everybody has got their opinion. but all that matters is who Tony chooses to play, and you've got to respect that.

"Luckily for me this week, I'm going to get a go and I'm going to take it with both hands.

"I was really disappointed not to play against France, but it wasn't with the team selection. I needed to do a bit more to get into the team.

"I think once you are in the squad of 24 everybody has got the opportunity to play, and you have to prove it in training. That was the main thing for me.

"I never thought my chance had gone. You just have to try hard to get back in.

"Playing against the Aussies is going to be a massive deal, and to be playing in Wigan makes it even more special."

Myler is still struggling with the head knock he took in the closing stages of the French game, but Smith made it clear Tomkins would have got the nod this week regardless.

The other new face is that of Huddersfield prop Eorl Crabtree, who had an impressive mid-season game against France but missed England's last two games after undergoing minor knee surgery at the end of the domestic season.

Crabtree goes on to the bench alongside Sam Burgess, who drops out of the starting line-up to make way for James Graham - with captain Jamie Peacock switching to the second row of an experienced and potentially explosive pack.

Hooker Scott Moore is the other player to miss out, which means a starting role for his St Helens team-mate James Roby.

Teams:

England: S Briscoe (Hull KR); T Briscoe (Hull), Smith (Leeds), Shenton (Castleford), Hall (Leeds); McGuire (Leeds), Tomkins (Wigan); Morley (Warrington), Roby (St Helens), Graham (St Helens), Ellis (Wests Tigers), Peacock (Leeds, capt), Sinfield (Leeds).

Subs: Burgess (Bradford), Crabtree (Huddersfield), Eastmond (St Helens), Westwood (Warrington).

Australia: Slater (Melbourne); B Morris (St George Illawarra), Inglis (Melbourne), Hodges (Brisbane), Hayne (Parramatta); Lockyer (Brisbane, capt), Thurston (North Queensland); Hannant (Canterbury), Smith (Melbourne), Civoniceva (Penrith), Watmough (Manly), Gallen (Cronulla), Hindmarsh (Parramatta).

Subs (from): Farah (Wests Tigers), White (Melbourne), Lewis (Penrith), Shillington (Canberra), Waterhouse (Penrith), Gidley (Newcastle).

Referee: Steve Ganson (England).