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Michael Cheika has identified Christian Lealiifano and Samu Kerevi as likely contenders for the Wallabies inside centre position to play England on their tour of Australia in June.
Cheika, who was being interviewed alongside former All Blacks skills coach Mick Byrne on Fox Sport’s Rugby 360, indicated that Kurtley Beale had been the frontrunner for the position, but has since been ruled out for four to six months with an injured knee.
Also unavailable for the position are previous Wallabies 12s Matt Giteau and Matt Toomua.
When probed as to whether he would prefer a playmaking second five-eighth or a line-busting inside centre, Cheika indicated that he would be open to experimentation with both possibilities. He said that the option of a playmaking fullback to come up to first receiver when necessary expanded the possibilities. However, as the incumbent Wallabies fullback, Cheika indicated that Israel Folau would be the frontrunner to start in that position, while indicating that his experience at outside centre with the Waratahs this season may provide a pathway for a similar move in the Wallabies.
Byrne noted that 12 is a position that requires a player to undertake not only a heavy physical load, but also a heavy mental load in passing on information to the fly-half. He said that, combined with the fact that 12s are normally required to play the entire 80 minutes, may pose some challenges to Kerevi at this early stage of his career.
Byrne offered the opinion that Kerevi, having found good form at 13 prior to a hand injury which is seeing him out of the game for three to four weeks, should start his Wallabies career in that position.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.