Wallabies v Ireland team named

Coach Robbie Deans has stayed loyal to his team in naming his squad to take on the Irish in Brisbane this Saturday night.  Injuries to local boys Will Genia and Digby Ioane have forced two new players to come into the side, but the rest of the starting team is the same that went down to the Poms last week in Sydney.  Luke Burgess gets another chance to show his stellar form of two weeks ago wasn’t a one-off, whilst Adam Ashley-Cooper returns to the wing for Diggers.

With criticism, I would suggest unfounded, of Genia’s performance as slow and ponderous the test becomes a critical one for Burgess to push his World Cup barrow when many were calling for his axing from the squad just a month ago.  There is, however, little denial that Ashley-Cooper needs to be in the team and his direct running will be a valuable addition to a team that lacked impetus on the weekend.

Coming onto the bench this week are Kurtley Beale and Josh Valentine for his (potential) first caps of the season.

In the end the lucky player is probably Dean Mumm, but he was probably saved by a lack of options. Mark Chisholm hasn’t proved he is test class whilst rookies Rob Simmons and Kane Douglas haven’t had the game time recently.

I would suggest it is an understandable selection by Deans as a lot of last weekend was about attitude. The players, on the whole, are good enough its just they didn’t seem up for it last weekend. I would hope that this weekend is a case of the last chance saloon for some. But is that a safe ploy to play when our next game is a Tri-Nations match?

The team is: