Michael Cheika has named a side that will be familiar to most fans of the Wallabies to face Fiji in their 2015 Rugby World Cup opener.
It is fairly close to the starting side that took the field in the victory over the All Blacks in a Sydney, with a few notable changes.
Bernard Foley and Will Genia have been preferred as the starting halves pairing, with Matt Giteau given the nod at inside centre.
Nick Phipps is on the bench.
Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu are the preferred starting props, with Kane Douglas earning a spot in the second row. Will Skelton and Dean Mumm are both on the bench, with Mumm presumably covering loose forward positions.
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David Pocock and vice captain Michael Hooper have been named in the same team for the second time, after the tactic proved exceptionally successful against New Zealand.
Rob Horne and Adam Ashley-Cooper will start on the wings, with Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua the two outside back reserves on the bench.
The Wallabies’ game against Uruguay is just a few days after, and many are expecting a fairly different side to be wheeled out for the Wallabies then.
This side looks to be close to what might be considered the full strength starting XV for Australia.
Michael Cheika didn’t give anything away about the selection process, but he did hail Fiji as a tough opponent.
“We’ve been working hard over the past few months and it’s great be able to finally pick a team and get started,” Cheika said.
“We know Fiji are a good quality Rugby team and in good form. They’ve showed that recently during the Pacific Cup and their opening match against England at this World Cup.
“The players have an enormous amount of respect for them and the way they’re playing the game, especially the improvements in their set piece.
“Our groundwork is done now and we are eager to get into the battle – a battle we know will be very intense against this Fiji side,” said Cheika.
“It’s important to give everyone an opportunity early on. We’ve done that throughout our lead up to this tournament and I believe it’s a good way to go.
“Will and Nick (Phipps) complement one another. Nick is a very effective player and I think we saw that in the South Africa match when he came off the bench and lit up the game.
“Will has returned from injury in great shape and has been training really well since he came back into the squad.”
The Wallabies’ game is on Fox Sports and GEM at 1:30am AEST on Thursday.
Wallabies team to play Fiji at Millennium Stadium on Thursday morning
1. Scott Sio
2. Stephen Moore
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Kane Douglas
5. Rob Simmons
6. Scott Fardy
7. Michael Hooper
8. David Pocock
9. Will Genia
10. Bernard Foley
11. Rob Horne
12. Matt Giteau
13. Tevita Kuridrani
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper
15. Israel Folau
Replacements
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau
17. James Slipper
18. Greg Holmes
19. Will Skelton
20. Dean Mumm
21. Nick Phipps
22. Matt Toomua
23. Kurtley Beale
What do you think of the team Roarers? Is this what you would have chosen?
kezablonde
Guest
The team is nearly as good as the positional descriptions: props, second-rowers and inside centres. That's how I like it. Fox have joined the new world order and are now generic in their descriptions - I'm not sure if I completely understand what a lock is anymore - I think Kearnsy calls the real lock a No 8 - but what about the other two, or is it four? Plus, what ever happened to breakaways?
Internal Fixation
Guest
Japan has midgets all over the park!
Marty
Guest
True, Fiji certainly had there chances to beat England last Friday. There heads all went down in the final 10mins when they conceded a couple of late tries but a couple of tactical improvements, less nervous hands and a bit of focus in attack and teams will write them off at their peril.
soapit
Guest
yep our halves in general havent done cheika too many favours in terms of selections.
soapit
Guest
beales always been a lock for the bench given how many positions he covers and his genuine ability to potentially pull something out if needed.
Smiggle Jiggle
Roar Guru
Fiji will not be so easy to push over. If they stop kicking the ball away and clean up there handling mistakes, AUS will be in a cracker.
Smiggle Jiggle
Roar Guru
Horne is at 11, Nadolo is at 11?
Marto
Guest
Hasn`t got enough Tahs in it for me .. Mumm to 6 ....... Phipps to 9 ..... Beale to 12 ..... Skelton to 5 .... TPN to start... Moore Palu Genia Fardy Gits added to bench Simmons out of 23
Crystal Rage
Guest
Haha hilarious!! Just don't let that Rob Horny character anywhere near my grandmothers front lawn. :)
Playmaker
Guest
No major surprises, so if the Wallabies play a structured game against Fiji and feed off their mistakes, the win should be straight forward.
BAZZA
Guest
Two midgets at 10 and 12 spells danger down the track..
Handles
Roar Guru
I will bet you that Simmons has more positive impacts than Douglas.
RubberLegs
Guest
Genia reads the game better than Phipps and he has a running game. Genia will take a lot of pressure off Foley. Bernard's 7's experience and their long training build-up should bring about a great performance from Bernard. I hope Queensland's Nadolo has a good one too, but not too good.
Handles
Roar Guru
Folau - y? Ashley-Cooper-ie? Kuridrani-o? Giteau-y? Foley-o? Genia-y? Is this the first ever Wallaby backline with no "y" or "o" nicknames? Sign of the times.
Dave_S
Guest
Agreed, our problem is that neither of Foley and Cooper is a compelling pick (and I say that as a Cooper fan). We are going to have 3 tough games just in the pool, so sharing the workload and giving them a last chance to make their cases for selection in the closing stages is sensible. I hold out hope that Cooper will play himself back into form, in which case TK and Izzy would be getting a lot of quality ball and we would be very hard to outscore. And I think the combos are about right for a mix of solidity and flair: Genia+Foley+Gits / Phipps+Cooper +Toomua. Beale seems to be in many Roarers' bad books, but he's a super-super sub in that he covers 10-15 better than probably everyone in the world. Not sold on Horne, but against Fiji his tacking will be good value.
The Battered Slav
Guest
England - 1 Rugby world cup, and 1 soccer world cup Australia, 2 Rugby world cups, and just about every cricket world cup. Get with the programme you pommy git!!!!
GeoffBrizvegas
Guest
Wallabies shouldn't have too many problems as Fiji have kept both halves from the England match and they were abysmal. With Pocock and Fardy and Hooplah getting through and putting pressure on the halves I reckon that they will secure the ball reasonably easy, Fiji are not JAPAN. Hurry up Thursday and get here
James B
Guest
Looks like a good team. Since most of my issues with it mostly involve guys who didn't make the squad, I'm putting on my gold jersey and preparing to yell at the TV like I'm cheering on the sideline lets go guys lets go
linz22
Guest
Really not sure about Foley and Giteau and would have preferred Cooper and Toomua but happy to see them get a crack and really hoping they find some rhythm together.
Not Bothered
Guest
Yes he has outplayed Cooper who has played pretty badly in all of his outings. However he hasnt been great either. It appears that Toomua isnt really considered an option at 10. I can see why they played this side,, its a must win