Rising prop Scott Sio, whose dad David played for Samoa at the 1991 World Cup, has secured the loosehead prop spot while Will Genia has earned a recall at halfback to partner Bernard Foley.
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Rugby World Cup: Japan’s win over South Africa has been labelled as the greatest upset of all time.
Pocock grew up idolising Springboks champion Bobby Skinstad, who was also born in Zimbabwe, and Larkham was the villain who torpedoed the South Africans out of the tournament.
The Wallabies have added former Argentina worldwide Ledesma to the coaching staff for his scrum expertise.
Michael Cheika gets the Wallabies running during training at University of Bath, before their first World Cup match.
Halfpenny – the third high-profile Welsh back to ruled out of the World Cup following Jonathan Davies and Rhys Webb into the treatment room – admitted he knew his tournament was over as soon as he heard his knee snap.
“I’d love a bit of advice [from Skinstad]”, Pocock laughed.
“[Coach Michael Cheika] was trying to start that [scrum] revolution at the end of previous year “, Kepu said.
“It’s all about building that attitude and attrition for it”, Kepu said. “It’s a challenging role, but that’s what you want”.
Because of the four-day turnaround between the two matches, Cheika has decided to prepare two different starting sides to face the weakest sides in the pool.
But it seems likely that he has always been intending to start Pocock at No.8 with Hooper at openside flanker after that exciting combination excelled in the win over the All Blacks in Sydney.
Wycliff Palu’s hamstring injury has opened the door for Cheika to go back to the tactic to start the World Cup campaign.
Rob Simmons will marshal the lineout from second row alongside Kane Douglas with Scott Fardy at blindside flanker offering a third jumping option.
“It’s important across the board we’re like that and we’re adjustable to the game plan”.
“You’ve just got to be on all the time, and I think that all the teams who are coming here now more often – from what I’ve seen over the progression of the tournament – are believingthat they can win, as opposed to coming here just to participate”. Phipps has been excellent as well and it’s been tough, but my gut tells me that’s the decision to make for this game.
“There players are starting to play more and more against tier-one players”.
The Wallabies will be suiting up to play Fiji in just a couple of days time, and no doubt the team will come out soon.
“After the second [injury] … such an innocuous step, after that there were a few doubts”, Pocock said.
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Australia are primed and ready to embark on their quadrennial rugby union mission: bring back Bill. “I really tried to keep the focus on our next opponent”, he said, “What we saw from yesterday’s result [by Japan] is that if you take your eye off the ball for a minute, you will get pounded”.
