Wallabies incumbents to be rewarded - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Wallabies incumbents to be rewarded

Jim Morton 29/07/2011 03:55:22 PM Comments (0)

The Wallabies appear set to attack the All Blacks and their Eden Park jinx with the same starting team which dismantled the second-string Springboks.

The run-on 15 which kicked off the Tri-Nations with a 39-20 win over South Africa have been consistently lining up as a starting unit in Australia's training camp on the Gold Coast this week.

Coach Robbie Deans won't name his team for the Wallabies' biggest pre-World Cup Test until Thursday but all indications are he'll reward his incumbents with starts in Auckland.

Fullback Kurtley Beale, carrying ankle and shoulder concerns, returned to full team training on Friday morning to shrug off any lagging doubts about his availability.

He trained in a "no-contact" pink bib but ran freely, allowing Adam Ashley-Cooper to line up in the centres alongside fellow Brumby Pat McCabe.

Deans continued to give rising lock Rob Simmons the nod ahead of veteran Nathan Sharpe in training, even with Simmons also sporting a pink bib due to the bruising nature of last weekend's Test win.

If there are any changes to Australia's 22-man squad they are only expected to come on the bench as they look to end a 25-year, 11-Test drought at Eden Park.

Halfback Luke Burgess (hand) and prop Salesi Ma'afu (arm) have moved back into the selection mix after making their returns from fractures.

Deans will Tuesday name a 24-man touring squad for the Auckland Test and a 26-man travel party for the August 13 clash with the Springboks in Durban.

Both Burgess and Ma'afu are seen as highly likely to travel to South Africa and team manager Rob Egerton admitted Burgess was a possibility of unseating Nick Phipps on the bench against the All Blacks.

"They are a week or so off (being available) but it's up to the selectors to work out whether they are ready or not," Egerton said.

Phipps was among a handful of southern-based squad-members who left camp on Thursday to return to play for his Sydney club this weekend.

Tight-head Ma'afu has shown he's lost none of his power during his three months on the sidelines, dominating rival prop Pek Cowan during his return to scrummaging training on Wednesday.

Likely Wallabies team: Kurtley Beale, James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Pat McCabe, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (capt), James Horwill, Rob Simmons, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu.

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