The Wallabies squad for the 2015 end of year tour has been announced, with form flanker Scott Fardy the notable omission from the squad.
Fardy has withdrawn from the squad due to knee surgery, and his absence has led to the inclusion of uncapped flanker Sean McMahon. Fellow promising Rebels platers Tom English and Luke Jones, with zero and one cap respectively, have also been included in the squad.
The tour should see the debut of Henry Speight, who has been included, and Matt Toomua returns after missing the final Bledisloe Cup match due to consecutive concussions during the Rugby Championship.
New Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said that he hadn’t had time to fully make his stamp on the squad, and the announced team was largely inherited from Ewen McKenzie’s work.
Cheika will have barely any time to prepare for the end of year tour, having been appointed today and the squad leaving on Friday, but he was confident he would be up for the challenge.
He believed there was plenty of scope to improve the team ahead of the World Cup in 2015, and this was the starting point.
“There’s a lot of players that still need to rise to their full potential and that’s the job of the coach.”
Full Wallabies squad for end of year tour
| Player | State | Age | Test Caps |
| Adam Ashley-Cooper | NSW Waratahs | 30 | 100 |
| Ben Alexander | ACT Brumbies | 29 | 69 |
| Sam Carter | ACT Brumbies | 25 | 8 |
| Quade Cooper | Queensland Reds | 26 | 50 |
| Tom English | Melbourne Rebels | 23 | Uncapped |
| Saia Fainga’a | Queensland Reds | 27 | 32 |
| Tetera Faulkner | Western Force | 26 | Uncapped |
| Israel Folau | NSW Waratahs | 25 | 25 |
| Bernard Foley | NSW Waratahs | 25 | 14 |
| Will Genia | Queensland Reds | 26 | 55 |
| Kyle Godwin | Western Force | 22 | Uncapped |
| James Hanson | Queensland Reds | 26 | 5 |
| Scott Higginbotham | Melbourne Rebels | 28 | 31 |
| Matt Hodgson | Western Force | 33 | 9 |
| Michael Hooper (c) | NSW Waratahs | 22 | 38 |
| Rob Horne | NSW Waratahs | 25 | 22 |
| James Horwill | Queensland Reds | 29 | 56 |
| Luke Jones | Melbourne Rebels | 23 | 1 |
| Sekope Kepu | NSW Waratahs | 28 | 48 |
| Tevita Kuridrani | ACT Brumbies | 23 | 17 |
| Christian Leali’ifano | ACT Brumbies | 27 | 14 |
| Josh Mann-Rea | ACT Brumbies | 33 | 2 |
| Ben McCalman | Western Force | 26 | 34 |
| Sean McMahon | Melbourne Rebels | 20 | Uncapped |
| Nick Phipps | NSW Waratahs | 25 | 24 |
| Benn Robinson | NSW Waratahs | 30 | 69 |
| Rob Simmons | Queensland Reds | 25 | 46 |
| Will Skelton | NSW Waratahs | 22 | 4 |
| James Slipper | Queensland Reds | 25 | 59 |
| Henry Speight | ACT Brumbies | 26 | Uncapped |
| Joe Tomane | ACT Brumbies | 23 | 12 |
| Matt Toomua | ACT Brumbies | 24 | 19 |
| Nic White | ACT Brumbies | 23 | 18 |
Clifto
Guest
Does anyone know when Palu is meant to be back and available for selection?
Terry Kidd
Guest
Alexander and White I do not like ..... another young prop and even Burgess would be better than White
Andrew Pooley
Roar Rookie
Agree with you on the Folau thing. I reckon he is better suited to the wing or oside centre. He cant kick. Sometimes fullbacks need to kick to relieve pressure. When Folau runs with the ball, wallabies look ok. When he is kicking it, we look like shit. Jst sayin....
Andrew Pooley
Roar Rookie
Agree. Nic White isnt up to test rugby. His default position is to aimlessly box kick possession away. Lucky to get a berth.
jeznez
Roar Guru
It is still Weeks but he is currently injured. It was Palmer but he got injured and had to retire young, it was also Longbottom but he got ignored and so is now being invited to England camps. ABS - are you an AB's fan who just doesn't want us to get our TH selections right because you are worried that will then show up Crockett?
lockstock
Guest
Best comment I have read in a long time. Lilo had an absolute cracker last Saturday and Foley really hasn't shone during his time in the 10 jersey. Toomua/Lilo/Kurindrani should definitely be given a shot. Lilo seemed to have a pretty good combo with Folau as well on the weekend and the bloke can actually defend in the 12 channel. Although I think Phipps has come along way and would deserve to continue starting IMO with Genia for the bench. Hodgson to start with Fardy out, the man is a beast!
Markus
Guest
Constant Hooper criticism aside, given that Hodgson played all of about 30 minutes through the RC, you'd really like to hope that Hooper got more turnovers than him.
Crocodile
Guest
Kuridrani on current form is surely a consideration.
Utah
Guest
It was a mistake because our open side then got injured early in the tournament and we were without a pilferer for half the tournament. It was a big mistake, and cost us at least one game.
Utah
Guest
Are you joking? Staniforth may be a presence in the future, but he certainly isn't yet. He's been struggling to stand out in the NRC. He would get monstered in test rugby.
kibui b
Guest
Like Al Baxter, he continues to survive the cut. I thought both Weeks and Alo-Emile deserved some time with the squad, at the very least.
Daws
Guest
We need a grinder at 6, not a X-factor. Play Hodgeson there.
Mac
Guest
At 20 years of age and having achieved what he has already achieved on the Rugby scene one would wonder just how good this young man Sean McMahon will get. From what I hear he is a great young character of the field also. I think just by watching him play he is the example of the old saying, "you reap what you sow", or something like that. Probably for Sean McMahon though it is more like, I am going to take every opportunity I get and give it all I have. It appears he has been doing this from an early age as he is only 20 as I said at the start of this comment. Go for it young man.
Rob G
Guest
Scott Allen is just another Qld fanboy. You guys chose to take his word as gospel, doesn't mean everyone else has to. I chose to take what three super rugby winning coaches think as meaning more personally.
All Bent Out of Shape
Guest
Yes its true. All coaches in Aus are useless and they cant see that players are bad. Surely the coaches should select all of the other great tightheads in Aus. But there are none and Alexander is the best you have and thats why he remains. Rocket science it aint. Now its PAE, before it was Weeks, Holmes, Ryan, Slipper to tighthead. Why are the coaches not doing it? Because they are trained elite coaches is my guess. Next week it will be Ryan again or Holmes or maybe there will be cries that the Tongan Thor should get a gig, meanwhile Alexander will be picked again because hes the best option.
Shane D
Roar Rookie
Not sure how 1 openside was a mistake in the RWC. NZ, France, Wales & Ireland all took a single openside to the tournament & they seemed to go ok.
DMac
Guest
Heheh.
DMac
Guest
I guess we'll find out.
DMac
Guest
I think you're describing someone else.
Scrounger
Guest
I don't get the 3 No. 7's. This is potentially our strongest position especially with Pocock and Gill. I would have thought that Schatz deserved a position in the squad especially with Fardy dropping out as Higgers can cover 6. McCalman who has been injured plus Higgers means our stocks are low. Entirely different to 2011 WC where we chose only one No 7 which was a huge mistake but 3 is overkill.