Steve Thompson will complete a remarkable international comeback when he starts for England against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday. Jonny Wilkinson and Lewis Moody are also recalled to the side.

Thompson, a World Cup winner in 2003, was forced to retire from the game with a neck injury but after repaying his insurance payout he returned to action with the French club Brive. After a five-minute appearance off the bench against Argentina in June, the 31-year-old will reclaim the starting spot against the Wallabies.

Martin Johnson, the England team manager, said Thompson's impact in the build up to the series showed he hadn't lost his appetite for international rugby.

"He did retire from the game and probably realised what he was missing and had the desire to come back," Johnson said. "He has got himself into shape and has played pretty well and worked very hard. He has been fantastic with us this last ten days, as he was in the summer.

"It's good to have that experience among some of the younger guys."

Wilkinson also returns at fly-half for his first appearance since the 2008 Six Nations, while Moody forms an all-Leicester back row alongside Jordan Crane and Tom Croft. Asked what impact Wilkinson's return has made to the squad after his own well-documented fitness problems, Johnson said: "He has just been Jonny Wilkinson. He gets on with what he does and does it very well.

"His leadership in the group has been fantastic, his communication with the players, and particularly the younger guys, and what he brings. These guys have seen what he has done over the last ten years playing for England and it's a tremendous amount, so you can't really say too much more than that."

Two uncapped players, Courtney Lawes and Ayoola Erinle, will make their first appearances on the bench. Lawes was elevated to the senior squad as a replacement for the injured Nick Easter. The 20-year-old Northampton lock has impressed with a series of bruising performances in the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup this season, particularly against Munster.

"[Lawes] can have an impact carrying the ball, he can have an impact defensively, his set-piece work is good," Johnson added. "He's 20 years old and he has got a huge amount of potential to get even better. But we have put him on the bench to give him the opportunity to come off and make an impact for us if we think the time is right."

Erinle, the 29-year-old centre, moved to Biarritz this summer after spells at London Wasps and Leicester Tigers and was called into the squad last weekend as a replacement for the injured Mike Tindall.

A glut of injuries has forced Johnson into a series of new combinations in the backs, with a back three of Ugo Monye, Matt Banahan and Mark Cueto, a centre pairing of Shane Geraghty and Dan Hipkiss and Danny Care at scrum half.

Steve Borthwick retains the captaincy and is joined in the second row by Louis Deacon.

England team to play Australia:
15 Ugo Monye (Harlequins)
14 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
13 Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers)
12 Shane Geraghty (Northampton Saints)
11 Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby)
10 Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon)
9 Danny Care (Harlequins)
1 Tim Payne (London Wasps)
2 Steve Thompson (CA Brive)
3 Dave Wilson (Bath Rugby)
4 Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers)
5 Steve Borthwick (Saracens, Captain)
6 Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
7 Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers)
8 Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers)

Replacements: Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Duncan Bell (Bath Rugby). Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints). James Haskell (Stade Francais), Paul Hodgson (London Irish), Andy Goode (CA Brive), Ayoola Erinle (Biarritz Olympique)