BATH lock Steve Borthwick concedes life with the club's Australian coaching quartet could become unbearable next week if the Wallabies defy the odds and beat England in tomrrow's World Cup Final.

Borthwick, who along with clubmate Olly Barkley was named joint Zurich Premiership Player of the Month this week, admits the banter has been flying around the Rec team room left, right and centre in the build-up to the big game in Sydney.

And he knows the club's head coach, Queenslander John Connolly, plus his assistants, 1999 World Cup winner Michael Foley as well as Brian Smith and Richard Graham, will probably waste no time in reminding the English contingent should Australia win the William Webb Ellis Trophy for a third time.

''There might well be a bit of comeback, if the result goes the wrong way as far as we are concerned,'' said Borthwick, who will pack down for Bath against Harlequins in the Premiership just hours after the Telstra Stadium finale.

''Hopefully, it will go the right way, but obviously it's going to be an incredibly tough match.

''Obviously Australia fancy their chances a bit after last week's result against New Zealand and you have to give them a lot of credit for that. The way they played then and the work they put in and hunger they had was tremendous.

''The next day, it was England's control that was excellent. So it's going to be a very tight match indeed.''

Borthwick's Bath pals, Mike Tindall, Mike Catt and Iain Balshaw are all involved in England's final 22, but the big second row has resisted the temptation to send his own 'good luck' message Down Under.

''I'm sure they have been very busy with interviews and phone calls and people wishing them all the best, so we have left them alone to let them concentrate on the game,'' he added.

''It should be a very good match and you would not like to call it either way at this stage.''