The Wallabies’ grand slam campaign is over but they have the opportunity to get sweet revenge when they battle England at Twickenham on Sunday morning.
The last time these two sides played was back in June in Sydney. England humiliated the Wallabies securing a belittling white wash and from there England has won a total of 12 consecutive test matches under new Australian coach Eddie Jones.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika named his side and captain Stephen Moore will be the second highest capped Wallaby (116 tests) behind the great George Gregan. Cheika selected the aggressive giant Lopeti Timani to try and be the man to break through England.
Cheika told media that Timani is the right option.
“He’ll give us a lot of punch and strength in attack and defence,” Cheika said.
“That extra weight he’s got, his ball carrying and strong defence. It’s going to be a very physical game and he’s fresh now after a couple of weeks off and ready to go. I think we’ll need that extra grunt in there for this game.”
David Pocock moves to flanker while Michael Hooper finds himself on the other flank of the scrum. Will Genia is still uncertain whether he will play because he has the commitment to play French rugby. It is more than likely that the Waratah pairing of Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps will be the halves.
England will be without their star enforcer Maro Itoje who is recovering from an injury. It leaves a massive hole in their game plan but England have the depth and they will be a challenge for the Wallabies when they are in front of their home supporters. – Jesse Mullens
Photo of Dane Haylett-Petty scoring his first test try in June against England from the Wallabies Twitter feed.
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I am the sports editor for the Macleay Newsroom. I enjoy cooking and watching sport intently.
