Ewen McKenzie, Wallabies coach, has announced his team to play South Africa’s Springboks at Newlands in Cape Town this weekend, with James Horwill returning to the starting line up and captaining the side.
Nic White and Quade Cooper retains the halfback berths, with scrumhalf Will Genia and replacement flyhalf Matt Toomua on the bench.
Adam Ashley-Cooper moves to the wing in place of suspended James O’Connor and Tevita Kuridrani is brought in at outside centre, for his starting debut.
Israel Folau is kept at fullback, with Jesse Mogg out injured.
On the bench, prop Benn Robinson will receive his first opportunity for the Wallabies during the Ewen McKenzie era, whilst the 19-year-old Chris Feauai-Sautia will provide backline cover and could make his debut in Test rugby from the bench.
McKenzie said that having Horwill back is a major stabilising influence, especially given the physical nature of the Springboks.
“James has plenty of experience and we are going into a tough environment. He plays the game hard so it’s timely that he is back,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie clearly wants to get the balance right and has opted for the best balance possible in his back three.
“In our outside backs we’ve already been forced into change but Tomane on one wing is pretty straight forward. He is big and powerful and has been in the squad for a long time. The question after that is whether we wanted to bring an uncapped player onto the wing or go with Kuridrani, who has been training with the squad every week and has been used off the bench in two games. In the end we wanted to make things as smooth as possible while relying on as much experience as we can. We’re going with guys who have been training with us consistently since the beginning of the tournament,” he said.
McKenzie feels thatAdam Ashley-Cooper’s versatility should be seen as a blessing, as he is familiar with different positions in the backline.
“Adam Ashley-Cooper also has great capacity to cover a number of positions and we’re always going to use him in different roles. With his experience he knows what’s required and the role is something he feels comfortable doing. It won’t change the way he contributes,” he said.
Intensity later in the game is important and according to McKenzie, Benn Robinson on the bench gives them the ability to raise the intensity up front late in the match.
“Benn Robinson also comes in, which if you look at it in its totality, means our bench is structured to give us plenty of impact later in the game. That’s where we’ve been at our weakest so far. Bringing in experience later in the game can only lift your performance and at the same time they can stake a claim for a further opportunity in the starting team,” he said.
Wallabies: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 James Horwill (Captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Sitaleki Timani, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Will Genia, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Chris Feauai-Sautia.