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Dave Rennie tinkers with Wallabies forward pack while Jordan Petaia set for return from injury
By Online Editors
Coach Dave Rennie has made four changes to the Wallabies side as they look to improve on their draw in Sunday's Bledisloe Cup showdown with the All Blacks in Auckland.
Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and blindside flanker Ned Hanigan come into the starting side, while Queensland duo Liam Wright and Jordan Petaia are new faces on the bench for the Eden Park clash.
It will be Paenga-Amosa's fifth test and first against New Zealand, replacing Folau Fainga'a who paid the price for the Wallabies stuttering lineout.
Hanigan will start at six, with Harry Wilson shifting to No.8 and Pete Samu axed, while Wright has taken Rob Valetini's place on the bench.
The starting backline remains unchanged, with Tom Banks holding on to the fullback jersey ahead of veteran Dane Haylett-Petty.
Game-breaker Petaia has overcome a hip injury but Hunter Paisami has held his starting spot in the centres.
Rennie said he expected the All Blacks to lift at Eden Park after t he opening 16-16 draw in Wellington.
"We know that New Zealand will step it up another level this weekend, we're excited by the challenge ahead," Rennie said.
"We've had massive support from back home and as a team we definitely feel that and it's something we'll draw on on Sunday afternoon."
Wallabies: Tom Banks, Filipo Daugunu, Hunter Paisami, Matt To'omua, Marika Koroibete, James O'Connor, Nic White, Harry Wilson, Michael Hooper (c), Ned Hanigan, Matt Philip, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Taniela Tupou, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper. Reserves: Jordan Uelese, Scott Sio, Allan Alaalatoa, Rob Simmons, Liam Wright, Jake Gordon, Jordan Petaia, Reece Hodge.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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