Five Wallabies get the chop
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has made five changes to his starting XV for Saturday's Tri-Nations decider against the All Blacks in Brisbane.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has made five changes to his starting XV for Saturday's Tri-Nations decider against the All Blacks in Brisbane.
Centre Ryan Cross, flanker George Smith, lock Nathan Sharpe, tighthead prop Al Baxter and hooker Stephen Moore all return to the run-on side.
Rugby League convert Timana Tahu and hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau have been omitted from the side, while flanker Phil Waugh, prop Matt Dunning and forward Hugh McMeniman have been relegated to the bench.
The benched trio have been joined by Waratahs hooker Adam Freier and Western Force loose forward Richard Brown amongst the forward reserves, with scrum-half Brett Sheehan and utility back Drew Mitchell named as the only cover for the back-line positions.
“We've seen some great encounters in Tri-Nations and you're going to see an even better one on the weekend,” said Deans.
“There's been a lot of fast, physical games and this will be both. That's the reason for the 5-2 split.
“It's not a risk when you've got players who are versatile. That's where we believe our personnel will be valuable, and be a point of difference when it counts.”
Freier returns to the matchday squad for the first time since Australia beat France 40-10 at Suncorp Stadium in early July. Brown will become the 828th player to be capped by Australia in Tests should he be required to take the field.
The injured trio of inside centre Berrick Barnes, half-back Luke Burgess and lock Dan Vickerman were not considered for selection.
Deans said it was easy to put the embarrassing 53-8 defeat by the Springboks in Johannesburg to bed and insisted there was no panic after he experienced a rare 50-point defeat as coach.
“It's more of the same. In every game you lose contests but it's not a matter of reinventing the wheel or tipping everything on its head,” he said.
“It's a matter of sticking to what serves you and trying to win more of those little contests so that the outcome deals with itself.
“Last week's gone and we've got a fantastic opportunity this weekend. We will be better out of necessity and I'm very excited about this week, and very excited about this group.
“They weren't proud of their last outing so the priority for us is to be proud of what we leave behind this Saturday.”
As well as deciding this year's Tri-Nations series, Saturday's match is the third leg of the 2008 Bledisloe Cup series, with the scoreboard currently locked at one match apiece.
The fourth match will be played at the National Stadium in Hong Kong on Saturday November 1.
Australia must win the series outright to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup, which it has not held since a New Zealand side that had Robbie Deans as its assistant coach, prevailed two-nil in the 2003 series.
Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Peter Hynes, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Stirling Mortlock (c), 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Sam Cordingley, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Hugh McMeniman, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 Richard Brown, 21 Brett Sheehan, 22 Drew Mitchell.
Date: Saturday, September 13
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 20:00 (10:00 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Touch judges: Craig Joubert, Mark Lawrence
TMO: Johann Meuwesen