Fiji to face double trouble in backrow
Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium, Thursday, 1.45am on GEM 1. Sio 2. Moore (capt) 3. Kepu 4. Douglas 5. Simmons 6. Fardy 7. Hooper 8. Pocock 9. Genia 10. Foley 11. Ashley-Cooper 12. Giteau 13. Kuridrani 14. Horne 15. Folau Bench: Slipper, Holmes, Polota-Nau, Skelton, Beale, Phipps, Mumm, Toomua THE Wallabies will redeploy the dynamic duo of David Pocock and Michael Hooper in their opening World Cup match against Fiji after coach Michael Cheika realised he couldn’t bring himself to bench one of the pair.
After much trialling during the winter, Cheika finally settled on a top side that will also see Will Genia partnering Bernard Foley in the halves, Scott Sio starting at loose head prop, Kane Douglas and Rob Simmons in the second row and No.12 Matt Giteau playing in his first World Cup match since 2007.
There is no room for Quade Cooper, however, who missed a spot on the bench and will instead start at No.10 against Uruguay next Sunday.
Waratahs winger Rob Horne will start on the wing after winning a spot in a hotly contested position.
Understandably the side that will meet Fiji returns to the shape of the team that beat New Zealand in Sydney, where Cheika combined Hooper at No.7 and Pocock at No.8 for the first and only time.
But it was the whole Rugby Championship campaign that forced him to pick the pair again, Cheika said.
“Both of them over the course of the season, and what they’ve done in Test footy, it’s relatively impossible to leave one out,” Cheika said.
“David has been training the whole way through at 8 now since after the Rugby Championship so he’s getting more of a head around that. Without wanting him to change (too much), he’s trained at 7 as well.”
Cheika said he was very comfortable with Pocock playing No.8.
“I believe in him a lot there. He’s been very versatile at what he’s done,” he said.
“I think they’ve really enjoyed working together. They’ve been fierce opponents, obviously. And now there’s an opportunity that they probably didn’t think they’d ever get, to work together, which they’ve enjoyed.”
After all the chopping and changing in the halves this winter, Cheika finally settled on a combination that hasn’t started a game together: Genia and Foley.
Genia was injured in the Wallabies’ first Rugby Championship game and required knee surgery. But he combined well with Foley in the second half of the Wallabies’ win over the USA and Cheika said Genia’s experience and optionat the rucks won him the spot over Nick Phipps.
“Maybe that little bit of time off and the operation (has him) looking very sharp with his running,” he said. “And that little bit of extra experience, maybe. And then Phipps has also been excellent as well. It’s been tough, but my gut tells me that’s the decision to make for this game.”
Though Cheika is a “big fan” of Cooper, he went for the more versatile Matt Toomua and Kurtley Beale on the bench.
“I just wanted him to concentrate on getting ready for the second game. He has been going very, very well at training,” Cheika said.
Cheika also left Will Skelton out of the starting side, preferring Douglas and Simmons.
“I just see that he (Douglas) is coming into some nice fitness now. He’s worked his way back,” Cheika said.
“I think he gives us a really good workrate and workrate is very important for me.
“For me, Skelton has done an absolutely outstanding job – really, for his age, the way he’s come through the system and what he’s been able to bring to international football at such a young age in his position has been excellent.
“It’s his first World Cup, so I want him to just earn his way into (the team) and learn a bit more about what the tournament is going to bring.”