HSBC Waratahs backs Rob Horne and Kurtley Beale are set to make their first appearances in the Wallabies starting XV after being named in the Australian team to play Fiji on Saturday in Canberra.
Beale earned his first Test cap against Wales last November, however Horne is one of three debutants in the starting side alongside West Harbour prop Salesi Ma’afu and Eastern Suburbs hooker Huia Edmonds. Additionally, Easts flanker Matt Hodgson and Reds hooker Saia Faingaa will earn their first caps from the bench.
Other features of the team unveiled today see Queensland Reds centre Digby Ioane switch to the wing, after starring from the midfield on last year’s Spring Tour.
His move accommodates the inclusion of Horne while, inside of the pair, the partnership in the halves between Quade Cooper and Matt Giteau has been retained, albeit with a significant modification.
After Cooper appeared outside of Giteau in all four Tests of last year’s Grand Slam attempt in the United Kingdom and Ireland, this year’s Super 14 Player of the Year has today been named at flyhalf, with Giteau featuring outside him at inside centre.
Although the jersey numbers were different, this is the alignment the pair operated from for most of last year’s tour-ending 33-12 defeat of Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
HSBC Waratahs halfback Luke Burgess has won position behind the scrum, in the absence of the injured Will Genia, with the Randwick half Josh Valentine backing him up from the bench.
In front of them, Richard Brown gets the first crack at the No 8 jersey vacated by the injured Wycliff Palu. Western Force skipper Nathan Sharpe plays his first Test since last year’s second Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney, while Eastwood’s Ben Alexander is selected as a loosehead prop, after performing from the tighthead side during last year’s Test program.
With Warringah’s Pekahou Cowan named on the bench, Alexander may see action from both sides of the scrum during the game.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says today’s selection was a good starting point for the Test season, although he noted other players within squad would get their opportunity playing for the Australian Barbarians against England in Perth next Tuesday.
The Australian Barbarians team, which will be coached by Deans, will be named on Sunday.
“This is the group we’ve opted to go with first up. A number of the combinations are familiar, but the selection template is always a living document,” he says. “Other players in the squad will get their opportunity for the Barbarians next week. We’ll then assess how things have gone in the first two outings and look ahead from there.”
Deans noted the significance of this weekend’s occasion both for his captain – Rocky Elsom will earn his 50th Test cap – as well as the five players uncapped at Test level.
“It’s a significant occasion – for those players obviously, but for the whole group,” Deans says. “We are playing a Test match and you never, ever, take those for granted.”
Test Match
AUSTRALIA V FIJI
Saturday 5 June May 2010 (7:35pm AEST)
Canberra Stadium
AUSTRALIA
15. Kurtley Beale (Randwick/HSBC Waratahs)
14. Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds)
13. Rob Horne (Southern Districts/HSBC Waratahs)
12. Matt Giteau (Brumbies)
11. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Northern Suburbs/Brumbies)
10. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds)
9. Luke Burgess (Sydney University/HSBC Waratahs)
8. Richard Brown (Western Force)
7. David Pocock (Western Force)
6. Rocky Elsom [c] (Brumbies)
5. Nathan Sharpe (Western Force)
4. Dean Mumm (Sydney University/HSBC Waratahs)
3. Salesi Ma’afu (West Harbour/Brumbies)
2. Huia Edmonds (Eastern Suburbs/Brumbies)
1. Ben Alexander (Eastwood/Brumbies)
Reserves
16. Saia Faingaa (Brumbies)
17. Pekahou Cowan (Warringah/Western Force)
18. Mark Chisholm (Randwick/Brumbies)
19. Matt Hodgson (Eastern Suburbs/Western Force)
20. Josh Valentine (Randwick/Brumbies)
21. Drew Mitchell (Balmain/HSBC Waratahs)
22. James O’Connor (Western Force)