The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Wallabies squad for 2014 Rugby Championship announced

The Brumbies head to Perth to take on the Force and possibly take top spot in the Aussie conference. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
23rd July, 2014
170
4698 Reads

The Wallabies have announced their 32-man squad for the 2014 Rugby Championship today, with few surprises being included.

It is a very similar list to the squad named for the three-Test series against France earlier this year, and is reflective of the strongest sides in the Super Rugby competition.

10 members of the Brumbies side and 11 of the Waratahs have been included in the squad, with the two team squaring off in the grand final qualifier for the Super Rugby competition this Saturday.

A big addition to the squad is Fiji-born flyer Henry Speight, who is eligible for Wallabies selection after three years with the Brumbies. Speight replaces Nick Cummins, who is bound for Japan for the 2015 season.

Speight will likely come straight into the starting side when available, having impressed in his time at Super Rugby level.

Christian Lealiifano remains in the squad as a centre, along with Brumbies teammates Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani. James Hanson from the Reds has replaced former skipper Stephen Moore, as he did when Moore picked up an ACL injury in the first Test of the year against France.

Coach Ewen McKenzie was happy that he was able to produce a squad with continuity from the France Tests.

“We’ve come a long way as a group over the past 12 months and the consistency we’re now applying across selections, high-performance behaviours and our playing style is a positive sign that we are heading in the right direction,” he said.

Advertisement

“The challenge for us now is to continue this consistency throughout the Rugby Championship, beginning with a Bledisloe Cup clash against New Zealand.

“We understand a great deal of attention going into the match will be around the All Blacks and their motivation to create a new piece of history by winning a world-record 18 consecutive games.

“For us, it’s no secret that our desire to win back the Bledisloe Cup grows every year, but if our attention isn’t focused on the right areas during our preparations then it will be easy to get caught looking too far ahead.

“We recognise that and will have a clear understanding of how we are going to approach and prepare for the opening game.”

McKenzie was also happy with the form of the provincial sides heading into the Rugby Championship.

“It’s extremely pleasing to know we will have one Australian province in the Super Rugby Final and I wish both the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies the best of luck for their clash on Saturday,” McKenzie said.

“It has been captivating to follow their respective journeys throughout 2014 and I’m confident their efforts – along with those of the Force, Rebels and Reds – will have a positive influence when the Test season begins.”

Advertisement

Full Rugby Championship fixtures are here.

The full squad is here:

Player

State

Age

Test Caps

PROP

Ben Alexander

ACT Brumbies

29

62

Pek Cowan

Western Force

28

7

Sekope Kepu

NSW Waratahs

28

41

Scott Sio

ACT Brumbies

22

5

James Slipper

Queensland Reds

25

52

HOOKER

Nathan Charles

Western Force

25

2

James Hanson

Queensland Reds

25

1

Tatafu Polota-Nau

NSW Waratahs

28

49

LOCK

Sam Carter

ACT Brumbies

24

1

James Horwill

Queensland Reds

29

51

Rob Simmons

Queensland Reds

25

40

Will Skelton

NSW Waratahs

22

1

BACKROW

Scott Fardy

ACT Brumbies

30

13

Scott Higginbotham

Melbourne Rebels

27

24

Matt Hodgson

Western Force

33

6

Michael Hooper (c)

NSW Waratahs

22

31

Ben McCalman

Western Force

26

32

Wycliff Palu

NSW Waratahs

31

51

SCRUMHALF

Luke Burgess

Melbourne Rebels

30

37

Nick Phipps

NSW Waratahs

25

17

Nic White

ACT Brumbies

24

13

FLYHALF

Kurtley Beale

NSW Waratahs

25

42

Bernard Foley

NSW Waratahs

24

7

CENTRE

Tevita Kuridrani

ACT Brumbies

23

11

Christian Leali’ifano

ACT Brumbies

26

13

Matt Toomua

ACT Brumbies

24

13

BACK-THREE

Adam Ashley-Cooper

NSW Waratahs

30

94

Henry Speight

ACT Brumbies

26

Uncapped

Israel Folau

NSW Waratahs

25

18

Rob Horne

NSW Waratahs

24

16

Pat McCabe

ACT Brumbies

26

22

Joe Tomane

ACT Brumbies

24

9

close