Beale benched for Pumas clash
11 Sep 2012
Kurtley Beale has been dropped to the bench for the Wallabies Test against Argentina on Saturday, with Berrick Barnes taking over at fullback.
Pat McCabe returns from injury to play inside centre, while in other changes in the back division, Nick Phipps takes over from the injured Will Genia at scrumhalf. Brett Sheehan provides scrumhalf cover on the bench.
On Barnes’s shift Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said: ‘Berrick has good grounding at the back while his ability to take just about every point-scoring opportunity on offer [with his goal-kicking] was highlighted once again last weekend.
‘His presence provides good balance to the backline, while giving us the opportunity to throw Kurtley in where he will be at his most dangerous, against a tiring defensive line as the game opens up and he can get out there with a license to play.’
Nathan Sharpe takes over the captaincy in Genia’s absence and is partnered by Kane Douglas in the second row, Sitaleki Tamani dropping out of the 22.
‘Kane has been with us a fair while now, has worked hard and provides us with a similar set-piece presence as Sita [Timani] does,’ Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said.
‘He’s a big man so he will help anchor the scrum on the tighthead side in a similar way to how Sita has. Kane also has the benefit of plenty of recent match play under his belt in club rugby, which will help make his introduction to Test rugby a little easier.’
Wallabies - 15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Dominic Shipperley, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Radike Samo, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Nathan Sharpe (c), 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Subs: 16 Stephen Moore/Saia Fainga’a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Scott Higginbotham, 19 Liam Gill, 20 Brett Sheehan, 21 Anthony Fainga’a, 22 Kurtley Beale.
11 Comments
11 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
Deans is struggling.
What is this notion about where SA and now Aus have this belief the fly half is inter-changeable with the fullback.
Sure, when injuries force the issue during a game, but as a match choice, that is weird.
11 Sep 2012, 09:50 am
brett sheehan
hehehe
11 Sep 2012, 10:11 am
Boks softened them up, Argies will hurt them much more – might even win.
11 Sep 2012, 10:38 am
Argies could win this test. No way will the Aussies handle that physical assault. Go Argies
11 Sep 2012, 11:47 am
4
The ABs supposedly softened the wallabies and now you think the boks have done it. The wallabies forwards destroyed the boks.
11 Sep 2012, 11:53 am
@wallabie.-5:
Yeah sure – that’s why four of them went off injured and Sharpe went down twice for several minutes; thing is Argies are toughest forwards in the competiton this year – we’ll see.
11 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
@wallabie.-5: Destroyed is a little bit of an exaggeration sin’t it?
11 Sep 2012, 13:24 pm
i dont think the argies have enough left in the tank.
11 Sep 2012, 22:14 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-8:
More than the Aussies and with more to prove – will be interesting
12 Sep 2012, 01:44 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-8:
I think you are right, but I hope you aren’t.
Can any one say Scotland, Samoa, Ireland, Scotland?
IMHO the Argies are better than all these sides so you never know…
12 Sep 2012, 06:39 am
I don´t know why this noise. Obviously, Beale (inspired) is a nigthmare, but we have Hernandez out for years.
So what?
The Aussies have a pro structure, have super-rugby, they will find an excellent (or better than Beale) sustitution.
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-8:
We are here to learn, our main object is develop a system to play and retake our old identity, to start a new age of rugby here: The professionalism. We can´t look the level, this would be a problem for the big 3, or not (who knows?), but we are here to learn, no more than this.
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