Underdone Hunt not ready for Test: Cheika
ASKING Karmichael Hunt to suit up for a Bledisloe Cup Test with just 83 minutes of rugby under his belt was a bridge too far, according to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.
Hunt was the shock omission from Cheika’s squad for the clash with New Zealand in Brisbane tomorrow, despite being fit and available after recovering from an ankle injury.
The 30-year-old starred in the June window of Tests and was thought to be a certain inclusion on the bench at Sun- corp Stadium. But Cheika deemed Hunt was short of a gallop, having only made two brief appearances over the past two weekends in the National Rugby Championship.
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 gameand-a-half under his belt now but, to go to this pace, he probably needs another game or two,” Cheika said.
Samu Kerevi and Henry Speight have been retained as backline cover on the bench.
Cheika said they had done the job and deserved to stay in the squad.
The only change to the Australian team who toppled Argentina 37-20 two weeks ago in Mendoza was forced, with Rob Simmons starting instead of Izack Rodda, who had seasonending 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.
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 – making him the ninth mostcapped international.