Berrick Barnes’ red-hot goalkicking and Pat McCabe’s return from injury have relegated Kurtley Beale to the Wallabies’ bench for a second time in the Rugby Championship.
With hard-running McCabe brought back to start at inside centre after recovering from a foot stress fracture, coach Robbie Deans shifted Barnes to fullback at the expense of the mercurial Beale for Saturday night’s clash with Argentina at Gold Coast’s Skilled Park.
It’s Beale’s second stint on the bench in three Tests after being dropped from the starting team previously following his tournament-opening shocker against New Zealand in Sydney.
A five-eighth or playmaking No.12, Barnes has no Test experience at fullback but he played there for Sydney University in his return from his headache issues last year.
Deans indicated Barnes’ remarkable 25 from 29 success rate as Wallabies goalkicker this year, including six from six in Saturday’s 26-19 win over South Africa, was a key factor in his retention ahead of Beale.
“Berrick has good grounding at the back while his ability to take just about every point-scoring opportunity on offer was highlighted once again last weekend,” Deans said.
“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.”
McCabe has been a Deans’ favourite since he made his Test debut at inside centre last year and he returns to the international arena following just 33 minutes of club rugby in the Canberra grand final on the weekend.
Veteran lock Nathan Sharpe will captain Australia for the third time, and first in seven years, taking the reins from halfback Will Genia who badly injured his knee late in the comeback win over the Springboks in Perth.
In his 109th Test, Sharpe will partner debutant Kane Douglas in the second row after the rookie was promoted to replace injured fellow Waratahs lock Sitakeli Timani (hamstring).
In the third personnel change to Australia’s starting 15, Rebels halfback Nick Phipps has the big task of replacing Genia.
There are also alterations to the bench with Brett Sheehan, 33, picked for his first Test in four years as the reserve halfback, hooker Stephen Moore pencilled in to return from a hamstring injury and Mike Harris making way for Beale.
Moore, a late withdrawal from the Springboks Test due to a hamstring strain, has been bracketed with Saia Faingaa and a decision will be made later in the week.
Argentina, looking for their first win in the Rugby Championship, will name their side late Tuesday.
It’s been nine years since the two nations last met and Sharpe is the only Wallabies survivor of the 23-8 win at the 2003 World Cup.
Wallabies: Berrick Barnes, Dom Shipperley, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Pat McCabe, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Nick Phipps; Radike Samo, Michael Hooper, Dave Dennis, Nathan Sharpe (capt), Kane Douglas, Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson. Res: Stephen Moore/Saia Faingaa, James Slipper, Scott Higginbotham, Liam Gill, Brett Sheehan, Anthony Faingaa, Kurtley Beale.