The light-hearted remark lead to the affable Pryce being cast as a pantomime villain by the Aussie press during the last Tri-Nations Series.

"It doesn't really bother me," Pryce told Sky Sports News. "I've moved on from there. It's old news.

"I don't even want to talk about it. I don't want to say anything out of turn to get them going again. Let's concentrate on the rugby, not on one thing that was said two years ago.

"It's like football in England, so things get blown up more than they should do.

"It was maybe a bit of a silly thing to say but maybe they take things differently too. We have all got our own sense of humour and know how to take certain jokes.

"It was quite hard last time but I'd never gone there and experienced it before. I have now so I - and the boys - will just focus on ourselves."

England begin their World Cup campaign against Papua New Guinea in Townsville on October 25 and are currently preparing at a training camp on the Gold Coast.

"It's a potential banana skin," admitted Pryce when asked about Papua New Guinea.

"Everything is geared around them doing well.

"It's our first game together and there's the humidity but those are the hurdles you have to overcome. You can't have too many qualms about who you are playing against or the heat, just enjoy it and get on with it."