Karmichael left out of Wallabies squad
Hunt shock omission as Cheika sticks to winning Aussie line-up
ASKING Karmichael Hunt to suit up for a Bledisloe Cup Test with just 83 minutes of rugby under his belt has forced Wallabies coach Michael Cheika to leave him out.
Hunt was the shock omission from Cheika’s squad for tomorrow night’s clash with New Zealand in Brisbane, despite being fit and available after recovering from an ankle injury.
The 30-year-old starred in the June window and was thought to be a certain inclusion on the bench at Suncorp Stadium.
But Cheika deemed Hunt short of a gallop, having only made two brief appearances over the past two weekends in the National Rugby ChamSpeight pionship (NRC). He will play in the NRC again this weekend and likely be unleashed in next weekend’s match against Alan Jones’s Barbarians in Sydney.
“Karmichael’s got a game and a half under his belt now but, to go to this pace, he probably needs another game or two,” Cheika said yesterday.
Samu Kerevi and Henry have been retained as the backline cover on the bench. Cheika said the pair had done the job and deserved to stay in the squad.
The only change to the Australian team that toppled Argentina 37-20 two weeks ago in Mendoza was forced, with Rob Simmons starting instead of Izack Rodda, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
It will be Simmons’ sixth-consecutive Test, having spent much of the past two years falling in and out of Cheika’s favour. The coach said it was a changed approach from his end that was bringing the best out of him.
“I may have been telling him the wrong thing before, to get him going,” Cheika said.
“I won’t go into the details ... I’ve adjusted my dialogue with him, tried to get him thinking about how he can impact the game in a different way.
“I still think he’s got a heap more to give.”
Ned Hanigan has been brought back on to the bench after being excluded for the match against Los Pumas.
Former skipper Stephen Moore has also been named among the reserves, for what will be his last Test on Australian soil and his 125th overall.
Cheika said Moore deserved the opportunity to play, but his decision was based on form, not sentiment.
KARMICHAEL’S GOT A GAME AND A HALF UNDER HIS BELT NOW BUT, TO GO TO THIS PACE, HE PROBABLY NEEDS ANOTHER GAME OR TWO WALLABIES COACH MICHAEL CHEIKA