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Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne allegedly hopped in a waiting taxi after sexually assaulting a woman he had never met before, a Sydney jury has been told.

The ex-international rugby league player is accused of forcibly performing sex acts on the woman in her NSW Hunter home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.

The 35-year-old's third trial on two counts of sexual intercourse without consent began in the NSW District Court on Monday.

"Not guilty," Hayne said when the charges were read.

He has consistently denied the alleged assault since being charged in November 2018.

The case has drawn attention because of Hayne's high-profile as a former sports star.

"You'll find out if you don't already know," Judge Graham Turnbull told prospective jurors on Monday.

He reminded those selected for the jury to keep an open mind and remain impartial.

"Concentrate on the evidence in this trial ... this trial alone," he said.

The jury of 14, seven men and seven women, will be whittled to 12 before a verdict is delivered.

Crown prosecutor John Sfinas told jurors they would hear Hayne and the woman he was accused of assaulting had never met, having communicated through social media.

Hayne's barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, told the jury he replied "politely" to the woman's messages, which became increasingly sexual.

"He was a famous footballer. He didn't know her," she said.

Hayne was in town for a bucks' weekend when he took a taxi to the woman's home in suburban Newcastle.

He used a laptop to play an Ed Sheeran cover of Wonderwall he sang along with as the taxi waited outside, Mr Sfinas said.

She asked if the taxi was for him after hearing the honk of a horn.

Mr Sfinas said that was a "defining moment" for the woman.

She already felt "quite awkward" about the singing, but learning a taxi was waiting to drive Hayne to Sydney made her desire to have sex with him "evaporate", Mr Sfinas said.

Hayne told her before he arrived that he was headed to Sydney but would stop by "on the way", Ms Cunneen said.

A few days after the alleged assaults, when Hayne messaged the woman on Snapchat telling her he had lost his phone, she told him in writing that she had said "no", Ms Cunneen said.

"That's completely untrue! Everything we did you consented to," Hayne wrote back in the messages that would be tendered as evidence, Ms Cunneen said.

"That in a nutshell is the defence case," she said.

"It ended abruptly, and disappointingly perhaps, for all concerned ... but nothing in that room is done against (her) will."

The alleged assault involving oral and digital sex lasted about 30 seconds, ending when the woman's genitals began to bleed, Mr Sfinas said.

Ms Cunneen said both Hayne and the woman washed blood off themselves in her ensuite bathroom before Hayne left.

She also helped Hayne remove some of her clothing, Ms Cunneen said, contrasting Mr Sfinas' claim that he had pulled her jeans off after trying to kiss her in a way that was "quite forceful".

Mr Sfinas said the jeans would be tendered as evidence.

Judge Turnbull told the jury evidence from the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had already been recorded and would be played during the trial.

Hayne was a star player for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL, represented NSW in State of Origin and played internationally for Australia and Fiji during his professional rugby league career.

The trial continues.

© AAP 2023

Injured Australian opener Usman Khawaja is unlikely to bat on the final day of the fourth Test against India.

Scans have not shown any conclusive injury after Khawaja was helped from the field by the team doctor following a catching attempt gone wrong on the boundary on Sunday.

"He did have a scan, which is standard procedure. The imaging did not reveal anything conclusive," an Australian team spokesman said.

"He has soreness in his left lower leg, just below the knee on the outside of the lower leg."

The in-form opener had a long conversation with Australia coach Andrew McDonald before the start of play and tried running slowly on Monday's fifth and final day of the Test.

Khawaja will continue to be assessed again by team medicos but it is understood he is only a chance to bat again if Australia become desperate to save the match.

He was off the ground for almost two hours on Sunday as India piled on 571.

Australia had to face six overs before stumps on Sunday but No.11 Matt Kuhnemann was sent out as a nightwatchman to open with Travis Head instead of Khawaja.

When Khawaja went down, the 36-year-old appeared to grab his knee.

It would be a mighty blow for Australia if Khawaja is unable to bat, after his marathon 180 in the first innings, one of the finest knocks of his career.

After having a tough first Test against India, Khawaja has hit back to be the leading run-scorer on either team in the series with 333 at 47.57.

Australia's hopes of levelling the series 2-2 seem doomed with only India having an outside chance of winning the Test on the final day.

But India allrounder Axar Patel said "anything can happen" when asked if his team believed they could secure an unlikely victory and a 3-1 series result.

"If we get two or three wickets early tomorrow, they might play defensive under pressure," Patel said, translated from Hindi.

© AAP 2023

Australia must ramp up skills training and reshape higher education to deliver the jobs required to build, maintain and operate nuclear submarines.

The submarines deal with the US and Britain is expected to create about 20,000 jobs for Australian workers over the next three decades.

National security expert John Blaxland said the tertiary education sector would be crucial to delivery.

"That's a tall order," he said of the employment requirements.

"Our university sector has been for the last 18 months doing some deep thinking about how we generate from scratch nuclear physicists, nuclear scientists, nuclear engineers.

"This is enormous. It's going to involve co-operation and collaboration across the states and territories as well."

At its height, up to 8500 Australian jobs will be supported to build and maintain the boats and will include scientists, engineers, project managers and other trades workers.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said it was a massive endeavour and an investment Australian couldn't afford to miss.

"It will provide for a much more self reliant Australia for both our kids and our grandkids. This is what is going to keep Australia's safe over the long term," he said.

"The cost will be significant, but this is an investment in our security."

Chennupati Jagadish from the Australian Academy of Science warned the country was overly dependent on overseas workers.

"Nuclear science in Australia faces a skills crisis. We are significantly behind our peer nations in national nuclear and radiation science capability," he said.

Mr Marles believes the universities sector can meet the challenge.

"We feel confident we can attract the people both to serve on the submarines and to build them," the defence minister said.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson has been in talks with the government about how the sector can best support industry needs.

"One way we can do this is by boosting internships and work-integrated learning opportunities for students studying in areas of defence need, here and abroad," she told AAP.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said the project presented an opportunity for generations of Australians.

"It's going to require leadership from defence itself, from the private sector, from the education sector, from industry, we all have to work together to make this happen," he said.

"It can't fail."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will unveil the "optimal pathway" for the submarines under the AUKUS partnership in San Diego, California on Tuesday.

Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia class submarines before acquiring a new vessel based on UK design and US technology.

The submarines could come with a $200 billion price tag.

© AAP 2023