O'Connor turns into Wallaby winger

NICK TAYLOR, The West Australian July 20, 2010, 12:12 pm

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Western Force back James O'Connor will pull on a Wallaby wingers jumper for the first time in Saturday's Tri Nations opener against South Africa in Brisbane on Saturday.
There are three new faces and O'Connor, in his 18th Test, switches with Adam Ashley-Cooper, who moves to fullback.
Force captain Nathan Sharpe is back from injury, team-mates David Pocock and Richard Brown are in the back-row and fellow Force flanker Matt Hodgson is on the reserves bench.
Prop Benn Robinson and scrum-half Will Genia return. It will be Robinson's 32nd Test but his first appearance in 2010 after being sidelined since early May with a broken arm.
He had missed just three of the 28 Tests played by Australia from the start of 2008.
Genia, missed Australia's last outing with a fractured hand sustained during the second Cook Cup Test against England in June.
The Queensland Reds skipper will play his 13th Test having made his first run on start for the Wallabies in the corresponding game against South Africa at Suncorp Stadium last season.
While Robinson, Sharpe and Genia have all been deemed fit enough include in the run on combination, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is starting Stephen Moore from the bench after a two-month absence due to a broken jaw.
Queensland Reds hooker Saia Faingaa continues in the starting role, for the fourth straight Test, in Moore's absence.
"It's really good to have a few of the troops back who have been unavailable to us, and Benn and Stephen especially, given that we haven't had access to them thus far during our programme," Deans said.
"Benn has had a little bit more background than Stephen, in terms of having been able to get underway a little bit earlier after his injury, which is why he's ready to start while we are easing Stephen back in off the bench."
Deans said the Wallabies' preparation has gone to schedule since he brought his squad together for the Tri Nations, ands aid the side was "keen to get underway".
"We've obviously been able to have a good look at both South Africa and New Zealand through their matches over the last two weekends," he said.
"The imagery from those games has left our players in no doubt as to the magnitude of the task ahead.
"This competition features the top three sides in the world on the IRB rankings, and we are chasing the other two."
"It will be about the here and now - as it always is
"Our team is significantly different even from that which played [against South Africa] in Brisbane last year, as is theirs. The players who were involved on our side from that occasion can take confidence from that experience, but it won't be worth any points for us on the score board once this game starts."
Defending Tri Nations champions, South Africa have started the tournament with back-to-back defeats in New Zealand and Deans expects them to add an element of desperation to their performance in Brisbane.
"They'll be well motivated for sure," he said.
"Although the Springboks improved significantly in the time between the Tests in Auckland and Wellington, they'll know that they have to lift again and will be determined to do so in order to go home with their foot back in the door as far as the Tri Nations is concerned."
A South African win at Suncorp Stadium would make Australia's task of wresting back the Mandela Plate a difficult one, as they would need to win both matches in South Africa later in the tournament.
Four players, centre Rob Horne, fly-half Quade Cooper, prop Salesi Ma'afu and Faingaa, will be starting in a Tri Nations match for the first time.
A further four among the run on reserves, fullback Kurtley Beale, loose forward Hodgson, second row Rob Simmons and prop James Slipper, could also debut.
Simmons would also be making his Test debut for Australia.


Wallabies starting XV: Benn Robinson, Saia Fainga, Salesi Ma'afu, Dean Mumm, Nathan Sharpe, Rocky Elsom, David Pocock, Richard Brown, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Matt Giteau, Rob Horne, James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper. Reserves: Stephen Moore, James Slipper, Rob Simmons, Matt Hodgson, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes, Kurtley Beale.
South Africa: Zane Kirchner, Gio Aplon, Jaque Fourie, Wynand Oliver, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Pierre Spies, Ryan Kankowski, Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, BJ Botha, John Smit (capt), Gurthro Steenkamp. Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, CJ van der Linde, Flip van der Merwe, Dewald Potgieter, Francois Hougaard, Butch James, Juan de Jongh.

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