Wallabies coach Rennie wary of complacency as England series kicks off

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie isn't being sucked into a false sense of security by England's recent underwhelming form ahead of the first Test in Perth on Saturday, with Eddie Jones having an ominous record against his home nation.

England were thumped 52-21 by a French-heavy 14-man Barbarians side in a warm-up to their three-Test Australia tour, which came on the back of a sub-par Six Nations campaign, where they won just two of five games.

While England coach Jones admitted they were well beaten by the Barbarians, he fielded an under-strength side with the Premiership Final between Leicester and Saracens taking place on the same day.

Rennie pointed to the Premiership thriller, where both sides relied heavily on their kicking game, as a better sign of what to expect than the Barbarians embarrassment.

"[The final] was a bit of a kick-fest and not surprising ... that may be an indicator to how England play," he said.

"We're well aware we're going to get a lot of ball in the air and we'll be tested, so we'll pick people who have got the skill-set to deal with that."

Jones is back on home soil with a formidable record - since he took charge of the Red Rose brigade following the 2015 World Cup, England have won all eight of their Tests against Australia.

Rennie admits the series will be the biggest challenge of his tenure, kick-starting a 14-Test calendar against tier-one nations leading up the next year's World Cup in France.

"Winning the series is crucial," he said. "We've been together for a couple of years now, we reckon we've got more in us and we want to get better, but within that you've got to find ways of winning."

He is set to name his team on Thursday, with the Michael Hooper-led side largely settled.

Marika