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Dean Mumm is blessed with some superb luck at the moment; he will be the new blindside flanker in the Wallabies starting line-up to take on the Boks at Suncorp on Saturday night, but the incumbent, Scott Fardy, won’t even be on the bench.
What Wallabies coach Michael Cheika continually sees in Mumm is hard to fathom. The same can be said of skipper Stephen Moore, prop Sekope Kepu, and inside-centre Bernard Foley.
But there are changes in the wind, and so there should be after six successive losses.
Reece Hodge made such an impression off the bench against the All Blacks he’s been selected on the left wing, forcing Dane Haylett-Petty to switch to the right. Samu Kerevi will be outside Foley.
Cheika has retained Israel Folau at fullback, despite the fact Folau has suggested a stint in the centres would be welcome, and he has proved he’s quite at home at outside-centre with the Waratahs.
Cheika has also once again gone with the ‘Pooper’ experiment which now looks permanent, has stuck with Adam Coleman as Kane Douglas’ lock partner, and selected nine reserves, one of which will need to be omitted by game time.
The fates of backrower Sean McMahon and fit-again winger Drew Mitchell will depend on whether Cheika wants a six-two or a five-three forward-back split on his bench.
One player who won’t miss out will be the Melbourne Rebels’ Lopeti Timani, who is finally all set for his long-overdue Wallabies debut.
Wallabies team to play South Africa on Saturday
1. Scott Sio (20 caps)
2. Stephen Moore (c) (107)
3. Sekope Kepu (68)
4. Kane Douglas (25)
5. Adam Coleman (2)
6. Dean Mumm (48)
7. Michael Hooper (56)
8. David Pocock (58)
9. Will Genia (68)
10. Quade Cooper (59)
11. Reece Hodge (1)
12. Bernard Foley (32)
13. Samu Kerevi (3)
14. Dane Haylett-Petty (5)
15. Israel Folau (43)Reserves
16. Tatafa Polota-Nau (66)
17. James Slipper (79)
18. Allan Ala’alatoa (2)
19. Rory Arnold (2)
20. Lopeti Timani (0)
21. Sean McMahon (9)
22. Nick Phipps (44)
23. Tevita Kuridrani (36)
24. Drew Mitchell (70)Referee: Nigel Owens