England`s `troublemakers`

Australia expect England to hit them with "rough" tactics in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final showdown in Marseille.

Wallabies head coach John Connolly revealed on Thursday that he had met with the International Rugby Board's (IRB) referees' chief Paddy O'Brien and raised specific concerns about hooker Mark Regan.

Regan, the 35-year-old Bristol player, was recalled to the England side on Wednesday as coach Brian Ashton selected a heavyweight pack aimed at overpowering the Wallabies at Stade Velodrome.

Connolly coached Regan during his time at Bath but has taken the unusual step of singling him out as a potential trouble-maker for the match.

'Knuckles" fears England will try to unsettle the Wallabies and urged referee Alain Rolland to clamp down on anything underhand.

"England picking Regan at hooker delivers an intent," said Connolly.

"We've spoken to Paddy O'Brien to ensure he behaves himself, just to ensure the game's fair and clean."

South Africa coach Jake White recently accused Regan of not throwing straight down the middle of the line-out and of stepping into the field of play.

That is understood to have been one of the topics raised by Connolly.

After England's second Test defeat to South Africa in June, Springboks hooker and captain John Smit remarked that Regan had "said more to me in two games than my wife has in 10 years".

Regan was also admonished by referee Rolland for overstepping the mark as he celebrated England being awarded a penalty during their defeat to France in Marseille in August.

Australia's forwards coach Michael Foley is concerned his players do not react to any chat or dirty tactics from the England forwards.

The Wallabies to not want to gift Jonny Wilkinson shots at goal but Foley has warned them what to expect.

Wallabies forward Hugh McMeniman, named on the replacements bench for Saturday's encounter, said the team had been warned of possible foul play by Foley.

"Foley has coached some of the boys and he says they're pretty rough," said McMeniman.

"You can expect anything from the English really, definitely off the ball stuff and anything if you are lying on the ground; a bit of the scratch on the eye, but all the boys have coped with that before.

"It's not going to have any effect on us.

"I would like to see us play the sort of game we want to play, I get more enjoyment out of that than coming down to fisticuffs on the ground with some blokes.

"There's a lot of teams in the world that do it to try and get over the top of their opposite player mentally."

Number eight Wycliff Palu impressed the need for discipline, even if England are looking for a rise.

"There'll be plenty of niggle. The team that controls their discipline will get over the top," he said.

"You've just got to control yourself and get them back some other way - a big tackle or something. If you give away a silly penalty, especially with Jonny Wilkinson playing, you give away three points."

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