Australia is up for a tough battle in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Rugby World Cup as the Wallabies miss the services of star duo Israel Folau and David Pocock, ahead of their clash with Scotland at Twickenham Stadium on Monday.

Australia has called reinforcements after losing Folau and Pocock, as the former failed to complete a crucial training session because of strained ligament in his ankle, while the latter sidelined due to a calf injury. However, the Wallabies are still confident they can cope with the loss of the duo, who have been stellar in their RWC campaign.

Assistant coach Stephen Larkham was clear the injured duo would be fit to play in a semifinal match if the Wallabies advance to the next round. Larkham also insisted that playing Folau and Pocock against Scotland would only risks serious damage to their respective injuries.

"[Folau] was a little bit frustrated, he just walked off the field, very disappointed," Larkham said, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. “Just speaking to him there he was a little bit disappointed that it didn't feel as good as he would've liked."

Kurtley Beale will replace Folau at fullback while Ben McCalman will take Pocock’s place as vice-captain. Michael Hooper will also return to Australia’s lineup after serving a one-match suspension.

The Wallabies finished their pool stage campaign in strong fashion, topping Pool A with four wins on 17 points, while Scotland finished behind South Africa with three wins and one loss. The Scots’ recent outing saw them winning a tight match against Samoa.

The injuries for Australia would mean a boost for Scotland’s chances of progressing into the semifinal round of the quadrennial rugby tournament. The Scots’ RWC fixture against Australia will feature the same lineup that they used against the Pacific Islanders despite appeal against the three-week suspensions for Ross Ford and Jonny Gray is successful.

Coach Vern Cotter is aware of Australia as the heavy favourite to win their RWC fixture but insisted that his side will match everything the Wallabies will throw against them.

"They haven't lost a game yet, so they are the form team and the favourites not only to beat us but to go on and win the World Cup,” Cotter said, reports the Express . “They are a team that is more dangerous at the end so we can't even allow a slight slip in concentration.”

Team lineup

Australia: Scott Sio, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu, Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons, Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, Ben McCalman, Will Genia, Bernard Foley, Drew Mitchell, Matt Giteau, Tevita Kuridrani, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale Replacements: Tatafu Polota-Nau, James Slipper, Greg Holmes, Dean Mumm, Sean McMahon, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomya, Quade Cooper

Scotland: Alasdair Dickinson, Fraser Brown, WP Nel, Tim Swinson, Richie Gray, Blair Cowan, John Hardie, Dave denton, Greig Laidlaw, Finn Russell, Tommy Seymour, Pete Horne, Mark Bennett, Sean Maitland, Stuart Hogg Replacements: Kevin Bryce, Gordon Reid, Jon Welsh, Alasdair Strokosch, Josh Strauss, Henry Pyrgos, Richie Vernon, Sean Lamont

TV schedule

The Rugby World Cup 2015 Australia vs Scotland quarterfinal match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports 2HD on Foxtel, and Channel Nine’s GEM.

Match date and time

The match kicks off on Monday at 2:00 a.m. AEDT

Latest Odds (Courtesy of Sky Bet )

Australian win: 1/10

Scotland win: 8/1

Draw: 40/1

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