Overjoyed twins Anthony and Saia Faingaa were unable to contain their excitement after crowning their meteoric rise with starting selection in Australia’s must-win Bledisloe Cup clash with New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Faingaa brothers will be the first twins to play a Test together for the Wallabies since the legendary Mark Ella combined with brother Glen to help Australia to a 29-7 victory over Italy in Rovigo in 1983.
“It’s kind of surreal actually,” Saia said after being named on Thursday to replace hooker Stephen Moore.
“We were contemplating playing Super 14 together and now to do it on the world arena playing for the Wallabies is unbelievable.
“I know all our family is proud with what we’ve achieved so far, so I just can’t wait to get out there to not only represent my country but to represent my family and to have my twin brother and best mate next to me, it’s a pretty great honour.
“(When they heard), dad was crying, mum was crying, I think all my brothers were crying, so it’s a big moment in our family.”
Anthony – who, according to Saia, “sits in the back seat” because he’s five minutes younger – will start at inside centre instead of Berrick Barnes and has the unenviable task of marking the devastating Ma’a Nonu.
“Ma’a Nonu, he’s a great athlete. He’s done a lot for New Zealand rugby,” Faingaa said.
“For myself, there’s 14 other guys on the field, so he’s just one part of what we need to control. We need to get ourselves right as an Australian unit, get what we do best right.”
All up, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans made three personnel changes and one positional switch to his side which lost 49-28 to the All Blacks last Saturday in Melbourne.
Kurtley Beale will start at fullback, with Adam Ashley-Cooper moving to outside centre to replace Rob Horne, who suffered a season-ending elbow fracture at Etihad Stadium.
Winger Cameron Shepherd, who makes his return to the Test arena after a two-year absence, was named on the bench with Barnes and Moore as the Wallabies strive to break an eight-match losing streak against the All Blacks with a first Test triumph in New Zealand since 2001.
Barnes’s demotion completes a dramatic fall from grace.
The 24-year-old was Australia’s spring tour vice-captain last November and now finds himself warming the bench even when midfield general Quade Cooper is out suspended.
Still, he appeared to be taking the blow well on Thursday when he thrilled budding young All Blacks after Wallabies training at Christ’s College, Deans’s old school.
While practising his goalkicking, Barnes offered one starry-eyed lad his Wallabies training jumper if he could successfully land a sideline attempt.
The shot struck the crossbar but, to much applause, Barnes high-fived the kid and handed over the priceless souvenir.
In Ashley-Cooper and Faingaa, Deans will be be fielding his 14th different Wallabies centre pairing.
Ashley-Cooper, though, is well familiar in the role, having played at 13 regularly for the Brumbies at Super 14 level and four times previously during Deans’s two-year tenure.
Even his All Blacks opposite Conrad Smith gave Ashley-Cooper the thumbs up on Thursday.
“In my opinion, he has probably been their best back, probably their best player, for the last couple of years,” Smith said.
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