Stirling switches centres
18 May 2006
ACT captain Stirling Mortlock is favourite to replace the injured Matt Giteau at inside centre in next month’s Test series against England.
If Mortlock is switched from outside to inside, it will be his first start in the position for the Wallabies, the Sydney Morning Herland reports.
Mortlock, a specialist outside centre, has played on the wing and at fullback in Tests for Australia but has rarely been sighted at No 12.
However, Wallabies coach John Connolly is seriously considering moving the highly experienced midfielder for the first of two Tests against England in Sydney on June 11 after Giteau underwent minor knee surgery yesterday.
Giteau, who had been a certainty for the Test line-up, is expected to be unavailable for a month. Mortlock’s centre partner is likely to be either Ben Tune or Clyde Rathbone.
Connolly’s other options at inside centre are Gene Fairbanks or Sam Norton-Knight, and even Mat Rogers has been suggested at No 12 if Mortlock remains in his customary outside-centre position.
The final centre combination may be determined by how Norton-Knight performs at No 12 for the Waratahs in the Vodacom Super 14 semi-final against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
Connolly will announce a preliminary Wallabies training squad early next week that will convene for a three-day training camp in Sydney. The number of players involved is still uncertain and will depend on how NSW fare in Wellington.
It is understood that several high-profile Wallabies – both forwards and backs – will be overlooked for next week’s squad. The Australian selectors will announce the full Wallabies training squad only on May 29.
20 Comments
18 May 2006, 08:07 am
An outside centre at 12? And one of two wings at 13? Is it just me, or are the Aussies looking a little thin at the back? Is Morgan Turinui no longer in the picture? And is there a chance of Peter Hewat getting a look in at wing or fullback? Of course they have Rogers, Latham and Drew Mitchell for 15 as well, but I reckon Hewat deserves a spot.
18 May 2006, 08:20 am
I don’t think this will be a problem for the Wallabies they have so many talented players.
18 May 2006, 08:27 am
Um….helloooooo Wallabie morons….Scott Staniforth was “fairly” effective at 12 if I was watching the same super 14 as everyone else!!!!
Surely their selectors are not as oblivious as ours………
18 May 2006, 08:29 am
1-0 England
18 May 2006, 08:42 am
True. Staniforth was the form inside centre. Almost forgot about him, stuck away in Perth like that.
18 May 2006, 08:45 am
staniforth and mortlock, botht with that “knack” for scoring tries and not slouches on defence.
It all seems so obvious. Although…maybe a little too similiar.
18 May 2006, 09:02 am
Staniforth is class! To score as many tries as he has in the wooden spoon team is amazing. They would be stupid not to give the guy a run with gitts out of the picture, especially against the english. The english are gonna get murdered…
18 May 2006, 09:28 am
STM BWHAHAHAHAHAHA Bookmark this page because there is nothing funnier than watching an arrogant LIMEY who doesent wash being called up.
The Aussies are going to walk the poms, the Poms have no answer to any of the Aussi backline players.
18 May 2006, 09:36 am
not a huge ben tune fan but **** he plays with agression and passion, starting to win me over with his commitment, i think he would be great outside mortlock…england to get the regular hiding.
18 May 2006, 12:23 pm
Why is it that the Aus players get better with time. Stirling had one of his best seasons ever.
Compare this to our old boys. DWB, Joubert and Joulies……..
18 May 2006, 12:48 pm
more Growden bollox. Mortlock should be outside centre and captain
18 May 2006, 14:27 pm
why not use Scott Staniforth at inside center? He really impressed me playing behind the Force forwards
18 May 2006, 14:39 pm
This would be a pretty potent Wallaby backline:
9. Gregan
10. Larkham
11. Tequiri
12. Staniforth
13. Mortlock
14. Hewat
15. Latham
Rogers, Whitaker and Mitchel/Tune on the bench.
18 May 2006, 14:40 pm
Or perhaps Rathbone instead of Mitchell or Tune on the bench.
18 May 2006, 14:48 pm
Wasn’t Rathbone at inside center when he captained the u19 boks?
Brickwall ur so right. There must be somthing wrong with sa coaches. These players r under performing at S14 and if they shine under White, which i think may just happen, it shows up the sa coaches. Howwever under extreme circumstance Jaque Fourie shined. I wonder if we will see
12. J Fourie
13. Andre Snyman.
Fleck made the switch to 12 and hammerd the AB’s
18 May 2006, 14:52 pm
Rathbone and Mitchell haven’t got enough form on the board. Clyde’s last two games were poor
18 May 2006, 19:39 pm
It seems to me Aus are in no rush to beam up Scotty if the Syd Herland is accurate.
18 May 2006, 23:14 pm
the big news is that Jeremy Paul and Drew Mitchell will be left out of the squad. Luke Burgess is the bolter at scrum half (brumbies third string a lot better than Phibbs) with cordingly injured and Henjak/valentine not in form
19 May 2006, 08:07 am
Brumby, when does the squad get announced?
19 May 2006, 17:10 pm
no official word from the ARU but this is the initial squad named on foxsports with out the tahs players
Preliminary train-on group: Nic Henderson, Guy Shepherdson, Mark Chisholm, George Smith, George Gregan, Luke Burgess, Matt Giteau, Stephen Larkham, Stirling Mortlock, Mark Gerrard, Clyde Rathbone, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Gene Fairbanks, Daniel Heenan (Brumbies), Nathan Sharpe, Tai McIsaac, Cameron Shepherd, Lachlan MacKay, Scott Staniforth, Scott Fava (Force), John Roe, Ben Tune, Rodney Blake, Greg Holmes, Chris Latham (Reds).
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