George Gregan will start on the reserves bench for the first time in 10 years and Stirling Mortlock will captain Australia against England in their second rugby Test on Saturday.
Coach John Connolly made three changes on Wednesday for the Telstra Dome Test in Melbourne following Australia’s 34-3 win last Sunday in the first Cook Cup match at Sydney.
Mortlock will become the 73rd player to captain the Wallabies, and Gregan will start on the bench for the first time since 1996.
Queensland scrumhalf Sam Cordingley was named in the starting side after a six-year hiatus. Cordingley last represented the Wallabies in a three-point loss to England at Twickenham in 2000.
If regular captain Gregan, a 13-year Test veteran, takes the field as a replacement, the 33-year-old will become the most capped international player in the history of the game. He would break Jason Leonard’s record of 119 test appearances for England and the British and Irish Lions.
Waratahs hooker Adam Freier was promoted from the reserves, and will start his first Test at hooker since his debut season of 2002.
Also, the other change to the starting pack was lock Mark Chisholm in at blindside flanker for Daniel Heenan, who was being rested with a minor shoulder injury.
With Chisholm moving into the number six jersey for the first time in his career, New South Wales flanker Wycliff Palu earns his first selection in a Wallaby 22 on the reserves bench.
”It was always our goal to broaden our player base leading up to the World Cup,” Connolly said.
”The load has increased on players with the expanded Super 14 season and a longer Test programme so it’s a matter of managing players as well as exposing more of the squad to this level.”
England was expected to name its team later Wednesday. – Sapa-AP