Lawrence Dallaglio believes there is no chance Jonny Wilkinson will hold back when he makes his international return on Saturday.

Wilkinson will make his first appearance in an England shirt for 18 months when he runs out against Australia at Twickenham.

The most memorable moment of the fly-half's career came against England's old rivals in the 2003 World Cup final, when he scored an extra-time drop-goal to seal glory for Martin Johnson's side.

Mike Ford, England's defence coach, warned Wilkinson before the 2007 World Cup to hold back amid fears his hunger for making crunch tackles would leave him injured.

Ford echoed those comments this week by calling on the England back row to share the workload and keep the pressure off Wilkinson.

But Dallaglio believes the former Newcastle player will be as committed to making the big tackles as ever on Saturday, but does admit the forwards should do their best to protect him.

"Jonny will go at it the same way as he always does," Dallaglio told Press Association Sport.

"He probably doesn't hit as many rucks as he used to and is probably a little more sensitive about the options that he takes but even so, he's still the same player and will throw himself into tackles and that's great. You want someone to do that.

"There will be a lot of pressure on him because of the fact that he's Jonny Wilkinson and of what he has done but it's important that some of the other players take that pressure off him," he added.

"Whilst he may make a massive contribution to any game he plays in, he cannot win a game on his own. We need to do a job on Australia up front this weekend.

"We need to take the game to them and Jonny is the man who needs to be there to take advantage of any supremacy we do gain up front."

Wilkinson's last appearance against Australia came in the World Cup two years ago when he kicked all England's points in a 12-10 victory in Marseille.

A succession of injuries have kept him out of the England team since the 2008 RBS 6 Nations campaign.

Dallaglio believes Wilkinson's return will give a much-needed boost to Martin Johnson's side, which has been decimated by injury.

"He's affecting the game where it matters most - on the scoreboard," the former England captain said.

"He is the world's leading points scorer and he represents a threat to any team. He'll give the other players a bit of a boost and a bit of confidence as well because he has been there and done it.

"Another thing about Jonny is that you can be playing in a team that's playing badly and still win."

Dallaglio also believes the move to Toulon has been an important part of Wilkinson's renaissance.

"I met him a couple of days ago and he seems to be enjoying himself. He's very relaxed - almost like a new Jonny Wilkinson," said Dallaglio, an ambassador for Greene King IPA.

"Every time he got back he picked up an injury that was completely different to the original one. In his own words he seems to have broken that cycle of luck by moving to France."