Wounded Wallabies hand Toomua debut

After the shock of a rare defeat by Scotland, Australia's focus turns to the future here on Tuesday with teenage flyhalf Matt Toomua set to make his Wallabies debut in a tour match against Cardiff Blues.

 

The 19-year-old Brumbies star is included in a starting line-up that features seven players who were involved in Saturday's 9-8 defeat at Murrayfield, Australia's first loss to Scotland since 1982.

 

Centre Ryan Cross is the only player starting his second match in four days but James O'Connor, prop Sekope Kepu, hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, number eight Richard Brown, scrumhalf Luke Burgess and lock Dean Mumm were all involved from the bench in Edinburgh.

 

There are three changes from the XV that started in the opening midweek match of the tour, a 36-5 win over English Premiership side Gloucester on November 3.

 

O'Connor starts at fullback with Kurtley Beale, who filled that role in the win over Gloucester, switching to the wing in place of Drew Mitchell.

 

Cowan starts at loosehead prop with Sekope Kepu switching to tighthead and Salesi Ma'afu dropping to the bench.

 

Lock Mark Chisholm, flanker George Smith and inside centre Quade Cooper, who all started against Scotland, will be on a bench that includes late call-up Luke Morahan and fellow Queenslander Richard Kingi, both of whom will be hoping to make their Australia debuts in the non-cap fixture.

 

Scrum-half Gareth Cooper, who started for Wales in their win over Argentina on Saturday, will play for Cardiff after being released from the national squad along with flanker Sam Warburton.

 

The release of Cooper leaves Dwayne Peel as favourite to start in the number nine shirt when Wales take on the Wallabies at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday evening. Warburton was unlikely to have featured in the match-day 22.

 

Wales backs coach Rob Howley said: "In our squad, we feel we have the strength in depth in the back-row and scrum-half to facilitate this request from the Blues to have access to their players.

 

"Both Gareth and Sam could well have figured in our own plans on Saturday, and are not entirely ruled out should we need to make any changes towards the end of the training week, but obviously they will not be named for Wales when we make our team announcement (on Tuesday).

 

"We will incur some disruption to our own preparations, but this decision is about putting the players first as well as backing Welsh regional rugby.

 

"This way round, we will have two Welsh scrum-halves, and a young man like Sam, all with the chance to start against Australia in a week - a significant development opportunity which would otherwise not have been the case."

 

As well as recalling Peel, Wales head coach Warren Gatland is expected to restore fit-again centre Tom Shanklin to his starting line-up, a move that would come at the expense of Jonathan Davies, who started in the 33-16 victory over the Pumas.

 

James O'Connor; Lachie Turner, Ryan Cross, Tyrone Smith, Kurtley Beale; Matt Toomua; Luke Burgess; Richard Brown, Matt Hodgson, Mitchell Chapman; Dean Mumm (capt.), Dave Dennis; Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Pekahou Cowan