England's NRL men have been identified by Australia's forwards as the major threat in the must-win Gillette Four Nations clash.

Adrian Morley - six years with Sydney Roosters - current Wests Tigers star Gareth Ellis and 20-year-old Sam Burgess - who is joining South Sydney next season - form the backbone of the England pack aiming to deliver a knockout punch to the Kangaroos at the DW Stadium on Saturday.

Victory for England, following their opening 34-12 win over France, would send them through to the November 14 final and leave tournament favourites Australia teetering on the brink of a shock exit after their 20-20 draw with New Zealand.

"We were fortunate to come away with a draw," admitted Australia's veteran front row Petero Civoniceva.

"Defensively, we need a lot of improvement.

"From what we saw of England against France, it's going to be a real good test for us. From a forward's perspective, we've got a huge challenge.

"With Adrian Morley leading from the front and Gareth Ellis and Sam Burgess coming in, it's going to be very tough opposition for us. It's going to be a physical battle down the middle on Saturday.

"Their mobility through the middle of the ruck is going to test us, but right across the park they've got some very exciting players. We certainly need to lift if we have a chance of beating them."

Former Leeds second row Ellis took the NRL by storm this year, winning the Tigers player-of-the-year award, and was man of the match against the French - while Civoniceva has also been impressed by reports of Burgess' rise to fame.

"Gareth was one of the most consistent performers in our competition," he said.

"It was great for him to come over and test himself.

"Against France, he picked up from where he left off in our competition. We all know the calibre of player he is, and he's going to take some stopping.

"I've only seen footage of Burgess, but I think everyone in the NRL is excited to have someone so young and so talented coming over and testing himself.

"He was unstoppable against France. It took two or three defenders to stop him every time, and he's got a great offload. He's a very physical player."

Australia vice-captain Cameron Smith has also been impressed by Ellis' debut season in Sydney.

"He had a really good season in the NRL," said the Melbourne hooker.

"He picked up player of the year for the Wests Tigers, so that shows how well he played.

"Given the players they have in their forward pack, trying to minimise what they do is the key to us getting a victory.

"With guys up front like Morley and Peacock leading the way, we'll expect another a similar match to the Kiwis - where they were very physical through the middle. They ran hard and got up among our boys."

Brisbane Broncos forward Sam Thaiday believes Ellis' inside knowledge will give England an advantage.

"He will know how a lot of our players play," he said.

"He's going to be very important to the English squad.

"He's done really well this year. He's shown that people can come over from the Super League to the NRL - and there's a few more coming over, which is good to see.

"We don't really get to watch many Super League games over in Australia.

"Gareth played a really good game against France. They have some big forwards there and some good young talent coming through as well."