All 24 members of England’s Gillette Four Nations squad trained together for the first time on Monday. Not that Tony Smith was at the English Institute of Sport in Manchester to watch. The head coach was ordered to stay away by the team doctor after being stricken by a stomach bug.

It is hoped that Smith will have recovered sufficiently to rejoin the camp on Tuesday, when England continue preparations to face Australia, for whom Saturday’s encounter in Wigan is a must-win game in terms of reaching the final after their 20-20 draw with New Zealand on Saturday. “Tony was desperate to come in, but didn’t want to pass anything on to any of the players,” Steve McNamara, the assistant coach, said.

Richard Myler, who was badly dazed by a high tackle in England’s 34-12 defeat of France last week, took a full part in the session, although the 19-year-old scrum half must undergo a mandatory “head test” to ensure a clean bill of health. The perpetrator of that tackle, Jean Philippe Baile, is free to play in France’s game against New Zealand on Saturday. An international match review panel deemed that his sending-off was sufficient punishment.

However, David Ferriol, the France prop, is suspended for the game in Toulouse. The two-man panel of Paul Dixon, the former Great Britain forward, and Ian Millward, the former St Helens and Wigan Warriors coach, found Ferriol guilty of striking Kevin Sinfield, the England loose forward, and issued a one-match ban.

Eorl Crabtree, the Huddersfield Giants prop, who missed the warm-up game against Wales and Friday’s victory over France, trained for the first time after minor knee surgery. Scott Moore, the hooker, and Shaun Briscoe, the full back, also showed no ill effects after early precautionary withdrawals from the opening match in Doncaster.

“There were no major injuries and to have everyone for our first session of the week is a big plus,” McNamara said. “We’ll see if there are areas we can improve on. It was probably not quite the performance we were looking for.”

Tim Sheens, the Australia coach, is looking at “tweaking the side” from the New Zealand game, in which the twin threats of Billy Slater at full back and Jarryd Hayne on the wing were emasculated.

“Both really weren’t that effective and neither of them are happy with that,” Sheens said. “I don’t think one being dropped or changing them is going to be the answer either.

“Whether or not Jarryd plays on the right or left wing might change. Our issue was we didn’t get the link between the nine, seven and six going well enough.”

Petero Civoniceva, the veteran Australia prop, said: “We were fortunate to come away with a draw. Defensively, we need a lot of improvement. England’s going to be a real good test.”