Quade Cooper has been named in the Wallabies squad for Saturday night’s third Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand in Brisbane.
Cooper will start on the bench in his first international Test match of the year following last week’s indefinite suspension of Kurtley Beale and Australia’s historic 21-17 loss to Argentina.
Christian Leali’ifano will also make his 2014 debut for the injured Matt Toomua (concussion).
“It’s always hard when you have to watch from the sideline, so I’m sure they will be determined to make the most of their opportunities,” coach Ewen McKenzie said.
“They’re two experienced players who have performed at a high level for Australia before, and you can’t discount the value of experience in these big games.
“Quade has had a lot of great memories at Suncorp Stadium, and we’ll be looking for him to provide the same impact should he get called on late in the game.”
Despite training with the squad for the last five weeks, Will Genia was overlooked in favour of Cooper, while Will Skelton has also been left out of the side.
A win won’t end Australia’s 12-year Bledisloe Cup drought, but it will give the Wallabies a chance to celebrate the special achievement of one veteran player.
The All Blacks retained the Cup in August following a 12-12 draw in Sydney and a 51-20 demolition in Auckland, but Australia will head into Brisbane’s otherwise meaningless schedule determined to provide wing Adam Ashley-Cooper with a victory in his 100th Test for the Wallabies.
“Adam has had a remarkable career and he deserves the accolades which come with joining what is an extremely elite group of players to have played 100 games for Australia,” McKenzie added.
“It’s a massive honour and a true testament of his ability to play at a consistently high level over such a long period of time.”
Wallabies Squad: Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Leali’ifano, Joe Tomane, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps; Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper (capt), Scott Fardy, Rob Simmons, Sekope Kepu, Saia Fainga’a, James Slipper
Reserves: Josh Mann-Rae, Benn Robinson, Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Matt Hodgson, Nic White, Quade Cooper, Rob Horne
Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
