Friday’s rugby news has the Wallaby and Irish line-ups, Larkham’s selection policies and the Rebels unconcerned with missing superstars.
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Wallabies change three for Ireland
The Wallabies have made three adjustments to their starting line-up for this weekend, most notably replacing struggling tighthead Ben Alexander with Sekope Kepu. Coach Ewen Mckenzie has said that Alexander was rested on medical advice. Starting for the first time since a forgettable performance during the 38-12 loss to South Africa, the 125kg Kepu is rated Australia’s best technical scrummager and may have caught up with Alexander, whose contributions around the ground have recently dropped.
Other changes include the return of Scott Fardy from his concussion, pushed into the starting blindside role, shifting Rob Simmons back to lock at the expense of Sitaleki Timani. Tatafu Polota-Nau has also been recalled for his first Test of an injury-riddled year off the bench alongside Waratahs teammate Paddy Ryan. [/one_half]
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Ireland bring back big guns
As for the opposition side, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has made six changes to the starting team which beat Samoa 40-9. As was expected, Lions stars Jonny Sexton, Paul O’Connell, Sean O’Brien and Cian Healy were all returned to the starting side after being rested against Samoa. But in a surprising move, Schmidt has dumped Lions halfback Conor Murray and promoted Eoin Reddan to the starting No.9 jersey.
Redden was proffered for his quick ball distribution and greater partnership with former Leinster product Jonny Sexton. Schmidt also shocked many by selecting youngster Luke Marshall at inside centre instead of Brian O’Driscoll’s long term centre partner Gordon D’Arcy, who was dumped from the squad altogether. [/one_half]
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Larkham puts Brumbies first
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has said that selections will not be influenced by where individual players are vying for Test selection, hoping to fit as much talent into the ACT backline as possible this year. ‘At Super Rugby it’s about what’s best for our team, not necessarily what the Wallabies want or long-term planning,’ Larkham said. This particularly applies to the inside backs, where both Matt Toomua and Christian Leali’ifano want to play at No.10.
The Brumbies coach suggested that Toomua is the first-choice flyhalf, even though he has been picked to play at inside-centre for the past three Wallabies Tests and for the upcoming clash with Ireland. With Leali’ifano’s scheduled ankle surgery keeping him out until February, Pat McCabe also retains the chance to win back his starting position after he broke his neck twice in less than a year. [/one_half]
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Rebels ‘don’t need’ star duo
Melbourne Rebels skipper Scott Higginbotham is confident that his focused, hardworking side can overcome the loss of the disruptive stars Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor. While the pair were given marquee contracts, their time in Melbourne was riddled with injury, off-field incidents and, in the case of Beale, suspension and a stay in rehab. ‘We’ve got 30 blokes with their heads down trying to play at the Wallaby level, so there’s not a lot of distractions,’ Higginbotham said.
Higginbotham himself was hopeful of playing in the current northern hemisphere tour, but a setback in his rehab for shoulder and hip surgery pushed back his return. He is hoping to get back to the career-best form of last Super Rugby season, stating, ‘I’ve got a lot to prove next year, so I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running rather than building into the season.’
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