Shane Geraghty is ready to emulate his mentor Mike Catt and strike a devastating midfield partnership with Jonny Wilkinson in Saturday's Investec Challenge showdown with Australia.

The 23-year-old, who will make his first England start at inside centre, learned his trade alongside Catt at London Irish before making a successful summer move to Northampton.

Wilkinson always revelled playing with Catt, who not only brought an alternative attacking threat to the England team but, crucially, also acted as his eyes and ears.

"Communication is so important," Wilkinson explained earlier this week. "I had that with Mike Catt. 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."

Geraghty, who has been one of the form players in the Guinness Premiership so far this season, believes he can play that Catt role and bring the best out of England's returning World Cup hero.

"It wouldn't be a bad model to emulate. That is probably the closest England have had to what we have got this Saturday," said Geraghty.

"Jonny and Catty always had a good balance and great blend. They worked off each other and I am looking towards that.

"I am here to bring a good balance to the team, to take some of the load off Jonny's shoulders and to spread the responsibility. Hopefully we will interchange during the game to keep the opposition guessing who is the first receiver.

"I have learned a lot off Catty and I will be trying to bring aspects of what he has taught me into the game.

"Being a 10 myself it is always good to have a 12 who can talk you through the game, almost commentate on the game for you.

"I will do that anyway and hopefully take some of that workload off Jonny's shoulders and maybe be an option for him and be his eyes and ears a bit more."

Geraghty burst onto the international scene in 2007 with a match-winning performance off the bench in England's victory over France before his development was stunted by a series of injuries.

Last year he upset Catt and London Irish boss Toby Booth by announcing he was leaving the Exiles to join Northampton, but the move has already been a triumphant success.

In a similar vein to Wilkinson, who moved to Toulon in the summer, Geraghty feels revitalised by the challenge of proving himself in a new environment.

And if anyone had any doubts he was ready for a return to the England set-up, they were quashed by his performance in Northampton's epic Heineken Cup victory over Munster in front of the watching England coaching team.

"Even before that I thought my form was improving but it was nice to have a big game in front of the England coaches, to have that belief from them that you can do it and take your form onto the international stage," said Geraghty.

"Northampton is a big change for me but one I have thoroughly welcomed. One of the big changes has been going into a new environment where you are not settled and you have to earn the respect of the other players.

"I have had to do that on and off the pitch and I have really had to play well to do it."

One area Geraghty has had to prove himself during England's preparations has been in defence, to earn Wilkinson's trust in patrolling the vital channel between fly-half and inside centre.

Wilkinson is the game's greatest defensive fly-half and will need no second invitation to cover both positions if Geraghty fails to convince he can keep that barn door shut.

But Wilkinson has confidence in his right-hand man.

"The way Shane's playing now shows that he has that bigger picture," said Wilkinson. "Looking at what he's doing in training, he's got the all-round game.

"Because he's so prominent in every attack that's launched, people might assume there might be a weakness elsewhere, but as far as I can see he's a solid guy."

It is for his attacking skills that Geraghty is primarily in the side. He was was schooled at the England academy under Brian Ashton and he still lives and plays by that ethos of heads-up rugby.

But can he thrive playing that way in an England side where three quarters of the England management are gnarled former Leicester forwards?

"I wouldn't say my wings have been clipped. Brian Smith (the attack coach and his former boss at London Irish) is always there fighting the corner," said Geraghty.

"It is nice to have him there. I will still give it a go if it is on but I am little bit more experienced when things should be tried.

"I like to calculate a risk. I am not going to become stupid but I have still got that freedom in my game.

"I think you have seen a bit of that for Northampton. I am still playing the same rugby I was taught by Brian Ashton, a self-belief type of game."

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).