Wallabies coach Michael Cheika had the opening Bledisloe Cup match in the back of his mind when picking a team to face Italy on Saturday, but said the team will be quite different come August 19 at ANZ Stadium.Â
Cheika did deliver on his promise there would be changes for Australia's clash against Italy, with six new players coming into the starting XV.
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Rob Horne, Stephen Moore, Scott Sio, Rory Arnold, Lopeti Timani and Sefa Naivalu have been rewarded with places in the starting side, some through form and others as a result of squad rotation.Â
After being beaten by Scotland in front of 30,000 fans in Sydney, Saturday's Test will be a mission in restoring pride as well as sharpening up in the side's last outing before lining up against the All Blacks in Sydney.Â
![Recalled: Stephen Moore (right) and Scott Sio will start against Italy.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170623232342im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/w/b/r/3/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gww6un.png/1498137274111.jpg)
Cheika has used the June series to build combinations and maximise the game-time of players who could feature in the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship.Â
But after naming the 15 players to start at Suncorp Stadium against the world's 15th-ranked nation, it is difficult to get a read on how different that line-up will be come August.Â
"There's still a few players missing," Cheika said. "You've got [Samu] Kerevi, [Sean] McMahon, [Kurtley] Beale, Nick Phipps. There's still a few games to go before that squad gets picked.Â
"I'm thinking about that [the Bledisloe opener] in the back of my mind but in the front of my mind is the game on Saturday.Â
"The continuity thing [heading into the Bledisloe] isn't perhaps as relevant. There has been some tight calls and that is the signal that the team is looking for players who want to make those spots their own."Â
A case in point is the selection of captain Moore at starting hooker.Â
The 34-year-old came off the bench in the Wallabies' first two Tests of the year and will take the reigns ahead of Tatafu Polota-Nau. But is he now, in Cheika's mind, the best hooker in the country?Â
Asked whether Polota-Nau's demotion was form-related or to do with rotation, Cheika kept his cards close to his chest. "I would like to see Tafe work a bit harder in the start of games but I think he's done well in the set-piece. Now it's Moore's chance to get back in the starting boots and Polota-Nau's opportunity to finish from the bench, if he gets selected as a finisher.Â
"Moore's obviously the captain of the team and he's got a lot of experience. Polota-Nau's still putting out a big challenge to him and I want to give Moore the chance to respond."Â Â
In the backs, Tevita Kuridrani and Eto Nabuli have been dropped and will be replaced by Horne and Naivalu.Â
Horne can count himself lucky given he was not initially named in Cheika's June squad but earned a late call-up when Kerevi was ruled out through injury.Â
And given Horne has signed for UK Premiership side Northampton Saints next season, the 27-year-old could be forgiven for thinking he would not wear a gold jersey for at least the next few years.Â
Horne will start at No.13; the last time he started there for the Wallabies was in August 2012 against the All Blacks at Eden Park.Â
"He wants to treasure every chance he gets before he goes away and I think he deserves his chance by the way he's been operating," Cheika said.Â
Sio has edged Tom Robertson for the loosehead prop spot after his recovery from a knee injury, while Rory Arnold has squeezed out his Brumbies captain Sam Carter in the second-row to partner Adam Coleman.Â
Timani, who started at No.8 in five Tests last year, will get his chance at the back of the scrum despite not playing one minute of Super Rugby this year in the back-row.Â
"He's got so much potential it's not funny," Cheika said. "He really wants to play in the team, you can see it. It's still going to be a big challenge for him."Â
Winger Henry Speight was available for selection but Cheika has opted to give him a rest in place of Naivalu, a player the Wallabies coach described as "outstanding" despite a "chequered pre-season".Â
Cheika expects Italy to throw a number of surprises at the Wallabies, as they did when they exposed a loophole in the offside rule last year against England by deliberately not forming rucks.Â
"They've got a track record of doing that and we've discussed those opportunities that could occur in the game and how we deal with them," Cheika said. "They've got a clever coaching team. They've done that [tactic] but also two man lineouts … so we've got to be aware of those things but not let them override us playing our game."
Wallabies starting team to face Italy in Brisbane on Saturday:
1. Scott Sio (31 Tests)
2. Stephen Moore (c) (119 Tests)
3. Allan Alaalatoa (11 Tests)
4. Rory Arnold (11 Tests)
5. Adam Coleman (11 Tests)
6. Ned Hanigan (2 Tests)
7. Michael Hooper (67 Tests)
8. Lopeti Timani (6 Tests)
9. Will Genia (77 Tests)
10. Bernard Foley (44 Tests)
11. Sefa Naivalu (6 Tests)
12. Karmichael Hunt (2 Tests)
13. Rob Horne (33 Tests)
14. Dane Haylett-Petty (16 Tests)
15. Israel Folau (54 Tests)
Reserves: TBC
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