Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has announced a radically experimental team forthe second Test against Italy in Melbourne on Saturday night, with Western Force prop Pek Cowan making hisAustralia debut.
Deans has named eight new faces in the starting side - with captain Stirling Mortlock and star five-eighth Matt Giteau among those rested - and also made three positional switches.
Force's Ryan Cross and fellow centre Quade Cooper, winger Peter Hynes, flankers David Pocock and Peter Kimlin and the front row of Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Cowan are the new faces from the team which beat Italy 31-8 in the first Test last Saturday.Berrick Barnes has been switched to five-eighth, George Smith to No.8 and Dean Mumm to lock.
Smith will captain the side for the third time in Mortlock's absence.Regular starters Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson, Nathan Sharpe and Giteau have been named on the bench, along with veteran breakaway Phil Waugh who will play his first game for Australia in 2009.
Force's teenage sensation James O'Connor has retained the fullback's jersey with Adam Ashley-Cooper among the reserves.Of Australia's 30-man squad, only Lote Tuqiri, Timana Tahu and the injured Rocky Elsom have not been named to start or as a reserve in any of the Wallabies' three games so far this year.
"We believe in the whole group, that is why we selected them, Deans said."This week is about our growth as a group. We've got potentially 14 Test matches to play this year, as well as the Barbarians game we've already had.
"Not only would it be unrealistic to focus that entire workload on the same players, a policy like that would also deny us the opportunity to develop others."Australia: James O'Connor, Lachie Turner, Ryan Cross, Quade Cooper, Peter Hynes, Berrick Barnes, Luke Burgess, George Smith (capt), David Pocock, Peter Kimlin, Dean Mumm, James Horwill, Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Pekahou Cowan. Res: Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson, Nathan Sharpe, Phil Waugh, Josh Valentine, Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper.
MELBOURNE AAP
