Quade Cooper will play for the Wallabies for the first time since the Rugby World Cup last year, starting the game at flyhalf, while Bernard Foley will partner him at inside centre.
Michael Cheika has shaken things up in naming his second Wallabies team for the Rugby Championship, dropping lineout general Rob Simmons from the 23 entirely and playing Samu Kerevi at outside centre. Ben McCalman hasn’t been spared either, with Scott Fardy coming back into the side at number 6.
McCalman hasn’t been named on the bench either, with Will Skelton coming off the bench.
Reece Hodge could make his debut off the bench, having been named in jersey 23.
Tevita Kuridrani is off the bench, and Adam Coleman comes into the starting lineup to replace Simmons at lock.
There’s still no luck for Drew Mitchell, who hasn’t been named in the 23, but Dean Mumm retains his spot after a promising game off the bench last Saturday.
Another talking point is the fact that the Pooper combination – Michael Hooper at openside flanker and David Pocock at number 8 – has been retained for Bledisloe 2.
But there’s no doubt that the biggest talking point is the fact that Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley will play in tandem for the first time. (Click to Tweet)
In years gone by, Cooper’s success has been when he is paired with a hard-running inside centre like Kerevi, who occupies the outside centre role, or Anthony Fainga’a.
It will be a completely different dynamic for Cooper here, sharing the load with Foley in organisation, kicking and leadership around the park.
The match will be Cooper’s 59th for Australia, after he returned to Australian rugby midway through this year after opting not to continue with Toulon in France.
He will reignite his partnership with former Reds teammate Will Genia, and Wallabies fans will be hoping for some of that old magic will return.
1. Scott Sio
2. Stephen Moore
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Kane Douglas
5. Adam Coleman
6. Scott Fardy
7. Michael Hooper
8. David Pocock
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Dane Haylett-Petty
12. Bernard Foley
13. Samu Kerevi
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper
15. Israel Folau
Reserves
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau
17. James Slipper
18. Allan Ala’alatoa
19. Dean Mumm
20. Will Skelton
21. Nick Phipps
22. Tevita Kuridrani
23. Reece Hodge
What dod you make of this team? Can it defeat the All Blacks?
P2R2
Roar Rookie
Cheika continues to shoot himself in the foot with players playing out of position...has he not learned that yet...? It will be his un-doing, I expect the WBs to turn up to play but the ABs are on fire and any improvement on last weeks game spells disaster for the WBs
soapit
Roar Guru
no edit button is hurting us all factcheika (except perhaps theroar who get extra comments clarifying/fixing mistakes)
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Cooper has multiple man of the match performances at test level. So let's just assume he brought his "A Game" those times...
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Foley. He didn't need to cross the Tasman to miss 4 tackles in Saturday
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
When he began missing less tackles in 2013, 2014 and 2015...
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
He also missed 4 of the 10 he tried. He was one of the worst culprits for dragging down the wallabies tackle completion rate.
factcheika
Guest
TWAS I had to re-read your last sentence 4 times before I could comprehend it. If you look at the EVIDENCE it suggests you're capable of writing much more succinct comments. Please revert back to your mode level of commentary and we'll just put this one down as a statistical outlier.
CUW
Guest
@ Mick Gold Coast QLD http://www.planetrugby.com/news/wilkinson-to-cooper-like-foie-gras-to-pate/ " Mourad Boudjellal is never shy of criticising his high-profile signings, but he may have just topped his efforts when summing up Quade Cooper's first few months with Toulon. Asked by Quinze Mondial how to describe the switch from Jonny Wilkinson at fly-half – who won two European Cups and a Top 14 crown with Toulon – to new signing Cooper, Boudjellal used the following analogy. "It's difficult to go from foie gras to pâté." Cooper has certainly yet to get going at the Stade Félix Mayol, mixing flashes of brilliance with predominantly underwhelming performances. "
PiratesRugby
Guest
Hooper? You know he'll always be picked. He couldn't be any worse than he was the last he was captain. Won't distracted by pushing in the scrum, jumping in line out or hitting rucks. But hard to communicate from the wing though...
Rugby Tragic
Roar Rookie
That's the word coming out of Auckland too about ALB. Only 21 but Hansen has had his eye on him believing that he is going to be a superstar ...
RobC
Roar Guru
Rob Simmons has been selected! Look forward to seeing him in action with Tan Tup
Stephen C
Guest
I'm no fan of the Wallaby play at the moment, but how they are suddenly contemptible, evidenced through a partisan video of the goofs of one player, I'll never know. Anyone have a link to Cooper's moments of brilliance? It'd go for a lot longer than four minutes.
PiratesRugby
Guest
I think it fair to say that not a single person agrees with Chieka's team. But we might beat Argentina and therefor prove he's a coaching genius after all.
PiratesRugby
Guest
So its between last week's team and this week's team?
Markus
Guest
If Horne is "Slow, small, injury prone, who misses more tackles than he makes", how could you possibly think he could have made a career as a test outside centre?
Dubaikiwi
Guest
I hope they dont boo Cooper, but they probably will, not because of anything but the fact Cooper can be put off his game by doing so.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks Paddy. It is what it is. Go Wallabies!!!!!
jeznez
Roar Guru
Great nom de plume - Takeshi is one of my all time favourite characters
Dejos
Guest
Interesting discussion, and the general tone from Oz sounds like us kiwis when we talk about our respective cricket sides. I.e. we talk about what-ifs and selections etc, without really just admitting that we have our best side on the track and for today, - just are not good enough. The next bit is the hard part though, - what are we going to do so that we are good enough in 2 years time. Select for the future, not as desperation moves. Headspace right, limit the damage, grow the belief. Then if you have the resources at a strategic level, progress can be made. But doubtful we can ever beat your cricket side regularly, over say five years. Same for your rugby side versus AB's. Both have had periods of some dominance (your rugby way more than our cricket) but the deep understanding of the respective games makes a difference to this. For mine - Foley and QC - is more on the desperate side of things. Both good players on their day, but a death or glory call, and I'm picking the result to be not glorious. But the trouble really started in the small numbers, and unless they grow a leg, what happens outside Genia won't make any difference.
Peter Mc
Roar Rookie
Thats the sort of sentimentality that leaves us in our current predicament.