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Juggling an injury crisis, Wallabies selectors have taken the risk of being without a specialist hooker on the bench, while centre Ryan Cross has volunteered to back up against Gloucester at Kingsholm on Tuesday night.
After already calling for two reinforcements in Matt Toomua and Tyrone Smith for Berrick Barnes and Rob Horne, who were forced home through injury before the opening match of the grand slam tour, the Wallabies were wondering when they arrived in London on Sunday whether they would have a hooker to play in their first midweek game.
While Stephen Moore had minor chest problems after Saturday's 32-19 loss to the All Blacks, there was uncertainty whether the squad's other hooker, Tatafu Polota-Nau, would be available after he woke up on the morning of the Tokyo Test complaining of a sore leg.
This forced a late change in the Bledisloe Cup line-up, with Polota-Nau going to the bench and Moore starting. Polota-Nau did not seem troubled by his leg during his 32 minutes on the field in the second half, so selectors decided he would start against Gloucester.
Even though Moore was a strong candidate for the midweek captaincy, he will be rested before Saturday's Test against England at Twickenham, and prop Pek Cowan will be Polota-Nau's back-up on the bench. Waratahs second-rower Dean Mumm has been named skipper.
Although Cowan has played the bulk of his rugby as a prop, he has been handed the responsibility of being the tour's third hooker, and has appeared in that position at recent training sessions. Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said yesterday he was not concerned there wasn't a specialist hooker as part of the reserve contingent.
''There's no problem there. Stephen [Moore] could have been considered, but we have opted for Tatafu to start the game,'' Deans said.
Cross, who had a quiet Tokyo Test as much of the Australian back-line play was surprisingly directed away from the outside centre region, agreed to back up, giving himself a difficult assignment. After playing a full Test match, Cross then took a 13-hour flight from Tokyo to London, and on the day of the game will spend six hours on a bus going to and from the match.
Deans was delighted that Cross had agreed to help out a squad which has been destroyed by injuries, even though the coach was quick to point out that Adam Ashley-Cooper, Peter Hynes and Moore, who were all hurt in the Tokyo Test, would be available for Twickenham.
''Ryan didn't have to back up,'' Deans said. ''We could have started Matt Toomua, which we were originally thinking of doing. But it all revolved around how the guys came out of the Tokyo Test. And Ryan expressed an interest to back up as early as a few minutes after the Test.''
This match gives numerous fringe players a chance to remind the Wallabies selectors of their existence, and for five starting players - Kurtley Beale, Smith, Mitchell Chapman, Dave Dennis and Salesi Ma'afu - their first appearance in the green and gold.
Winger Lachie Turner said that among the back-up players there was a sense of excitement about the Gloucester match.
''It will be tough for the guys who have to back up, after playing a bruising Test and then a tough travelling day,'' Turner said yesterday.
''But the rest of us who haven't played a game can't wait to get out there and show what we can do. It's not the perfect way to go into a game, but it gives the guys the chance to shine. If you can play well under these conditions, it goes a long way towards showing the coach you're ready to perform at the next level.''
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...010144728.html
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