England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson insists he can handle the weight of expectation in Saturday's Investec Challenge showdown with Australia at Twickenham.

Wilkinson, back in prime form and rude health following a revitalising summer move to Toulon, returns to the England side for the first time in 18 months.

Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans has spent all week talking up the impact Wilkinson will make on an otherwise injury-depleted England side.

At one stage Deans said: "He essentially won England the World Cup, so inevitably there will be a lot of expectation. We believe England will be more dangerous with Jonny."

Deans' comments will only raise the already lofty expectations of an English rugby public desperate for Wilkinson to recapture the glory days of 2003 after six years plagued by injury.

But Wilkinson rejected the notion that he is a key player and joked how people must have short memories - he was dropped after his last England start, in 2008, ended in a 9-3 defeat by Scotland.

Wilkinson pays little attention to the 'outside world' and insisted the only pressure he feels is that same familiar drive for perfection.

"It is flattering to hear someone mention you like that," said Wilkinson.

"But one thing I have learned over the last few years is that there is no such thing as a good player, just a good team that allows players to be good.

"So many times when people have said I had a good game, I actually came off the field thinking I had done nothing. All I did was listen to the guy next to me and do what he said.

"Rugby is very much about trust. The nature of working for each other is that it brings the best out of everyone. Both teams understand that this weekend.

"I have always tried to look at pressure in so many different ways to understand what it really does - but ultimately when the whistle goes you just do your best.

"You fight and you do whatever it takes to win."

Wilkinson's career can be marked by his matches against Australia, dating back to a 76-0 mauling on his Test debut in Brisbane in 1999.

Two years later he was the starting fly-half for the Lions against Australia before establishing himself as the Wallabies' World Cup nemesis.

Wilkinson landed the match-winning drop goal in the 2003 final and then booted all the points to knock Australia out in the 2007 quarter-finals.

And Wilkinson is relishing the opportunity to face the green and gold again.

"I could have woken up this morning not knowing where I was, but I knew from how I felt that there was something big going on this weekend," he said.

"It's always special because they're always up there at the top of the world game. When I think about Australia, I think of a certain professionalism, and a major strength in that tactically they can work better than any other team.

"You have to be 100% on your toes. As soon as you're not, they'll pull you apart."

England's injury crisis means Wilkinson is returning to a new-look back division and a team featuring only one other survivor from 2007, the flanker Lewis Moody.

Wilkinson believes the challenge of trying to gel with the likes of scrum-half Danny Care and inside centre Shane Geraghty has been made easier by his experiences in France.

England may be raw and inexperienced but Wilkinson is convinced they can also be exciting and dangerous.

"What has really helped me is the opportunity of being a new guy in a team and after 10 months out having to search quickly to try and understand the game, to understand other players, to get the best out of them," said Wilkinson.

"To have to do it all on the run is a challenge. By searching for it you are learning quickly and I know I am getting better week on week and that is where I want to be.

"It is exciting to guys like Ugo Monye, Danny Care, Shane Geraghty.

"I have been watching them for some time now and they are playing fabulous rugby. I can enjoy feeding off their form at the moment."

Teams:

England: U Monye (Harlequins); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), D Hipkiss (Leicester), S Geraghty (Northampton), M Banahan (Bath); J Wilkinson (Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), S Thompson (Brive), D Wilson (Bath), L Deacon (Leicester), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), T Croft (Leicester), L Moody (Leicester), J Crane (Leicester).

Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), D Bell (Bath), C Lawes (Northampton), J Haskell (Stade Francais), P Hodgson (London Irish), A Goode (Brive), A Erinle (Biarritz).

Australia: A Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies); P Hynes, D Ioane, Q Cooper (all Queensland Reds), D Mitchell (New South Wales Waratahs); M Giteau (Brumbies), W Genia (Queensland Reds); B Robinson (New South Wales Waratahs), S Moore, B Alexander (both Brumbies), J Horwill (Queensland Reds), M Chisholm, R Elsom (capt), G Smith (all Brumbies), W Palu (New South Wales Waratahs).

Replacements: T Polota-Nau (New South Wales Waratahs), M Dunning (Western Force), D Mumm (New South Wales Waratahs), D Pocock (Western Force), L Burgess (New South Wales Waratahs), R Cross, J O'Connor (both Western Force).

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand).

Assistant referees: Nigel Owens and Tim Hayes (both Wales).