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.
“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.”
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 |