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Australia select 19-year-old James O’Connor for first Test

Australia will unleash James O'Connor on England for the second time in a week after calling up the teenager for the first Test
  
  

James O'Connor
James O'Connor's performance against England's midweek side was 'impossible to ignore' said Australia's coach Robbie Deans. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Photograph: David Rogers/Getty

Australia will unleash James O'Connor on England for the second time in a week after the teenage full-back was named in their team for Saturday's first Test in Perth.

O'Connor, 19, scored a blistering hat-trick for the Australian Barbarians in Tuesday's 28-28 draw with England to force his way into the Test line-up ahead of Kurtley Beale.

The Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans withdrew O'Connor after 47 minutes, at which point the youngster had scored all of his side's points. Deans said: "The quality shown by James was simply impossible to ignore."

Drew Mitchell returns to the wing to replace Adam Ashley-Cooper, who was injured in the Wallabies' 49-3 victory over Fiji last weekend.

The Australians will be potent behind the scrum but their front row is an unknown quantity following an injury crisis which has robbed Deans of his first-choice unit. Ben Alexander damaged knee ligaments against Fiji to join Benn Robinson and the leading hookers, Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau, on the sidelines. All four had helped transform the Wallabies suspect scrum into a point of strength but Deans is confident in his next generation, even if the starting combination only have two caps and one Test start between them.

Ben Daley, the 21-year-old son of the former Australian rugby league international Phil Daley, will make his debut at loosehead, while the hooker Saia Faingaa and the tighthead Salesi Ma'afu only had their introduction to Test rugby in the Fiji game.

The captain, Rocky Elsom, is the only survivor from Australia's starting pack from the Wallabies' 18-9 win over England at Twickenham last November.

"We've broadened the playing base a fair bit, and Saturday is a great opportunity for the newer players," Deans said.

"We've already seen a few guys put their hands up in the first two outings that we've had as a squad. We will be looking for more of the same on the weekend coming.

"England have got a group of great experience in all types of circumstance that is looking to impress. We saw many of the traits we will see again this weekend during the Tour match on Tuesday night, most notably the composure England showed after falling behind in the game, and also the direct nature of their play.

"Martin [Johnson] and his team will be determined to deliver a statement of intent, both looking ahead to the rest of this tour but also on to next year and the World Cup, there's no doubt about that."

Australia team to play England

J O'Connor (Western Force); D Ione (Queensland Reds), R Horne (NSW Waratahs), M Giteau (ACT Brumbies), D Mitchell (NSW Waratahs); Q Cooper (Queensland Reds), L Burgess (NSW Waratahs); B Daley (Queensland Reds), S Faingaa (Queensland Reds), S Ma'afu (ACT Brumbies), D Mumm (NSW Waratahs), N Sharpe (Western Force), R Elsom (ACT Brumbies, capt), D Pocock (Western Force), R Brown (Western Force).

Replacements: H Edmonds (ACT Brumbies), J Slipper (Queensland Reds), M Chisholm (ACT Brumbies), M Hodgson (Western Force), W Genia (Queensland Reds), B Barnes (NSW Waratahs), K Beale (NSW Waratahs).

 

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