Australia will have Stephen Larkham back directing traffic at flyhalf, giving the Wallabies a boost in today's second rugby Test and adding to Wales' degree of difficulty to level the series.
An understrength Welsh team surprised Australia in the first Test last weekend, jumping to a 17-0 lead before going down 29-23 after conceding a last-minute try in the corner.
Australia used its opening Test of the World Cup year to experiment with a young and inexperienced inside back combination, due to Larkham's withdrawal with a hamstring strain and selectors wanting to see more of Matt Giteau at scrumhalf.
The backline was disjointed in attack, something the presence of 95-test veteran Larkham should address.
Larkham shrugged off another hamstring strain he picked up at practice on Wednesday and said he'd be fully fit for today's match.
"I felt no pain out there today and I'm very confident I'll be 100 percent," he said. "I wouldn't risk it if I wasn't 100 percent."
Australia coach John Connolly's key changes to the backline were to recall Larkham at No. 10 and give Digby Ioane a debut on the wing.
He retained Giteau at scrumhalf, leaving George Gregan -- Australia's most capped player -- on the bench, and Adam Ashley-Cooper at inside center to work around Larkham.
Scott Johnson, Australia's attack coach, said Larkham's influence on and off the field was crucial for the squad's development.
"We've got to look beyond Stephen as he is leaving us shortly. We have to tap into his intellectual property, so that we are not so exposed by his departure," Johnson said. "Stephen wasn't successful by fluke. He had something unique about him."
He will be marking James Hook, the Welsh flyhalf who was voted player of the match in the first Test.
Wales made five changes, some forced by injuries, including captain Gareth Thomas moving from wing to fullback.
A front row reshuffle was unavoidable because of injuries, giving coach Gareth Jenkins more concern with his own casualty list than Australia's.
"There is plenty of drama around both camps at the moment," Jenkins said. "It's the way the game is. If Larkham gets there and does play he will be a big plus for them. If he doesn't they have got selection options and I'm sure they will be pretty comfortable with them. The emphasis has been on ourselves, not on them. We feel we can improve by 30 percent. We've worked all week and tried to achieve that in our training sessions."
Ceri Jones was drafted in as tighthead prop after Adam Jones was ruled out, and Wales had to fly in Chris Horsman as cover on the bench. He was due to arrive yesterday.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
RSS