0
Emirates Western Force quintet, Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock, Richard Brown, James O’Connor and Matt Hodgson, have retained their place in the Wallabies squad ahead of a clash against Ireland on Saturday in Brisbane.
Hodgson has again been listed on the reserves bench while the other four are in the run-on squad and will be looking to do their bit to register a win against the Irish.
The only changes to the team that narrowly lost to England in Sydney last week is the reinstatement of Adam Ashley-Cooper and Luke Burgess, in place of the injured Digby Ioane and Will Genia.
Ashley-Cooper returns on the left wing, after featuring from that position in the opening Bundaberg Red Rugby Series Test of the season against Fiji, and then last weekend when he returned from an ankle injury during the second Cook Cup match against England.
Burgess, who won the Australian team’s internal Player of the Day award during his most recent Test outing against England in Perth two weeks ago, resumes in the number nine jersey after Genia broke his thumb in Sydney last weekend.
NSW Waratahs utility back Kurtley Beale and Brumbies halfback Josh Valentine have both returned to the match night squad, taking the places of Ashley-Cooper and Burgess respectively from last week’s bench.
While Australia’s two test series against England saw them retain the Cook Cup, the 20-21 loss in Sydney was a kick in the guts and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says he expected the team to bounce back quickly.
“We let ourselves down. There were reasons why we came up short and it is critical that we rectify them,” Deans says.
“Certainly anyone who watched the two Tests against England would appreciate that the urgency that was shown by our players during the match in Perth wasn’t replicated to the same level last weekend.”
While Ireland is coming off the back of losses to the All Blacks and the New Zealand Maori in New Zealand, Dean is expecting a tough encounter.
“They had a man sent off early on against the All Blacks, which is not something any side can afford, and suffered accordingly,” Deans says.
“They did score four tries in that match, and got them all while playing with 14 men, which is a fair indicator of their willingness, in terms of having a go. It also says a lot about their capabilities.”
Australia’s recent history against Ireland also provides a reference point indicating the Wallabies must raise their game.
Last year’s Test match at Croke Park finished 20-20, with a late converted try by Irish skipper Brian O’Driscoll denying the tourists their shot at a Grand Slam of Great Britain and Ireland.
Just five players from the starting line-up on that occasion will reappear for the Wallabies this weekend.
Two years ago, Australia was forced to work hard to snuff out Ireland 18-12 in Melbourne on their most recent visit to this country.
“They are a seasoned unit, with proven performers in the key positions,” Deans says.
“Our recent matches will also have given them plenty of confidence that they can succeed, while their players will be hungry. This is their last match before a summer break, and a win on Saturday night will make this tour a success from their perspective.
“As we saw last weekend with England, that combination can be a powerful motivator so anything less than a significant improvement from where we left off in Sydney will not be good enough.”
Lansdowne Cup
Australia v Ireland
Saturday 26 June at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
6.05pm kick off (AWST)
1. Ben Daley - Queensland Reds
2. Saia Faingaa - Queensland Reds
3. Salesi Ma’afu - Brumbies
4. Dean Mumm - Waratahs
5. Nathan Sharpe - Emirates Western Force
6. Rocky Elsom - Brumbies
7. David Pocock - Emirates Western Force
8. Richard Brown - Emirates Western Force
9. Luke Burgess - Waratahs
10. Quade Cooper - Queensland Reds
11. Adam Ashley-Cooper - Brumbies
12. Matt Giteau - Brumbies
13. Rob Horne - Waratahs
14. Drew Mitchell - Waratahs
15. James O’Connor - Emirates Western Force
Run on reserves:
16. Huia Edmonds - Brumbies
17. James Slipper - Queensland Reds
18. Mark Chisholm - Brumbies
19. Matt Hodgson - Emirates Western Force
20. Josh Valentine - Brumbies
21. Berrick Barnes - Waratahs
22. Kurtley Beale - Waratahs
http://rugbywa.com.au/news/article,58518.html
Reply With Quote
