JAMES Roby was one of England's stand-outs last week against Australia when he added zip and zest from dummy half after replacing Josh Hodgson.

And the Saints number nine believes the pair of them together have the wherewithal to do the business for England.

Non-stop Roby, who earned his recall on the back of another high calibre season with Saints, caught the eye in England's 18-4 defeat in Melbourne.

The wily veteran will win his 27th cap in Saturday's second Group A game against Lebanon at the Sydney Football Stadium, where he will again job share with Canberra's Hodgson.

Roby was happy with the way the two worked in tandem.

He said: "I came on at nine and, when Josh came back on, he played in the middle.

"I stayed at hooker and Josh was running some plays. It worked pretty well.

"Josh is almost like an extra half-back in the middle of the field linking up with the forwards. It's great to have some of his vision and skill in the middle."

Hodgson, has established himself as England's first-choice number nine but is delighted with the competition provided by the former Man of Steel.

Saturday's international against Lebanon will the first between the two countries but many of the Cedars' players are familiar to England, most notably skipper Robbie Farah, who won eight caps for Australia before returning to his roots.

"I know what Robbie Farah is about," Roby said. "I've played against him a few times and he's been around a similar amount of time to myself.

"He's a great player and has been doing it consistently for a decade or so. We know all about the likes of him, Mitchell Moses and Tim Mannah, they have some fantastic players in their own right.

"We can't take things for granted - we have to concentrate on our own game and prepare the best we can."

Meanwhile, Roby is expecting his St Helens team-mate Alex Walmsley to make a big impact when he finally wins his first cap.

"He was very unlucky last week to miss out with illness to," Roby said. "He's ready for it.

"I've played with him for a few years now at St Helens and he's been fantastic for us. I just hope he can get out there and do what he does week-in week-out. I'm confident he will.

"He's a big lad, he's awkward and he'll definitely attract defenders towards him.

"He runs very hard, he's a tough player who will give it his all. You'll probably see a few tackle busts and big hits.

"He's an all-action, high-impact player in the middle of the field."