Fullback Kurtley Beale and halfback Nick Phipps have been selected in the final 30-man Qantas Wallabies squad for the inaugural Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship.
Cadeyrn Neville unluckily missed out on final selection while James O’Connor is still recovering from a hamstring injury and Cooper Vuna aggravated a shoulder injury playing club rugby on the weekend.
The squad features an 18-forward, 12-back split, with a wide degree of versatility among the backline options chosen.
All of the selected backs were involved, either playing or training, during the June Test window.
The inaugural Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship, which introduces Argentina to the annual Southern Hemisphere competition for the first time, will run over six weekends between August 18 and October 6.
Eight of the players included will be on debut in the annual Southern Hemisphere competition, having not appeared previously in the Rugby Championship’s forerunner, the Tri-Nations. Four of them are uncapped.
Australia won the final Tri-Nations last year, a decade after the Wallabies had won the second of their three tournament titles in 2001.
A number of injured players were unavailable for selection but will come back into contention during the tournament once they complete their rehabilitation.
The Qantas Wallabies squad for the 2012 Castrol Edge Test Series is:
Player Position State Age Appearances
|
Ben Alexander
|
Prop
|
Brumbies
|
27
|
40
|
|
Adam Ashley-Cooper
|
Fullback-Wing-Midfield
|
NSW Waratahs
|
28
|
67
|
|
Berrick Barnes
|
Flyhalf/Inside Centre
|
NSW Waratahs
|
26
|
41
|
|
Kurtley Beale
|
Fullback
|
Melbourne Rebels
|
23
|
25
|
|
Quade Cooper
|
Flyhalf
|
Queensland Reds
|
24
|
35
|
|
Dave Dennis
|
Loose Forward
|
NSW Waratahs
|
26
|
4
|
|
Kane Douglas
|
Lock
|
NSW Waratahs
|
26
|
Uncapped
|
|
Anthony Fainga’a
|
Centre
|
Queensland Reds
|
25
|
18
|
|
Saia Fainga’a
|
Hooker
|
Queensland Reds
|
25
|
16
|
|
Will Genia
|
Halfback
|
Queensland Reds
|
24
|
38
|
|
Liam Gill
|
Flanker
|
Queensland Reds
|
20
|
Uncapped
|
|
Mike Harris
|
Flyhalf/Inside Centre
|
Queensland Reds
|
24
|
2
|
|
Scott Higginbotham
|
Loose forward
|
Queensland Reds
|
25
|
15
|
|
Michael Hooper
|
Flanker
|
Brumbies
|
20
|
3
|
|
Rob Horne
|
Centre
|
NSW Waratahs
|
22
|
12
|
|
Digby Ioane
|
Wing
|
Queensland Reds
|
27
|
25
|
|
Sekope Kepu
|
Prop
|
NSW Waratahs
|
26
|
16
|
|
Drew Mitchell
|
Wing
|
NSW Waratahs
|
28
|
58
|
|
Stephen Moore
|
Hooker
|
Brumbies
|
29
|
70
|
|
Nick Phipps
|
Halfback
|
Melbourne Rebels
|
23
|
3
|
|
David Pocock (c)
|
Flanker
|
Western Force
|
24
|
44
|
|
Tatafu Polota-Nau
|
Hooker
|
NSW Waratahs
|
27
|
35
|
|
Benn Robinson
|
Prop
|
NSW Waratahs
|
28
|
45
|
|
Radike Samo
|
Loose Forward
|
Queensland Reds
|
36
|
14
|
|
Jake Schatz
|
Loose Forward
|
Queensland Reds
|
22
|
Uncapped
|
|
Nathan Sharpe
|
Lock
|
Western Force
|
34
|
105
|
|
Rob Simmons
|
Lock
|
Queensland Reds
|
23
|
20
|
|
James Slipper
|
Prop
|
Queensland Reds
|
23
|
23
|
|
Sitaleki Timani
|
Lock
|
NSW Waratahs
|
25
|
3
|
|
Nic White
|
Halfback
|
Brumbies
|
22
|
Uncapped
|
2012 Qantas Wallabies Coaching & Management Team
Head Coach: Robbie Deans
Coaching Coordinator: Tony McGahan
Forwards Coach: Andrew Blades
Coaching Assistant: Nick Scrivener
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ashley Jones
Manager: Bob Egerton
Logistics Manager: Matt Sheppard
Doctor: Dr Warren MacDonald
Physiotherapist: Andrew Ryan
Recovery/Rehabilitation Coordinator: Ed Fitzgerald
Analyst: Andrew Sullivan
Media Manager: Matt McILraith
2012 Qantas Wallabies Test Matches (all kickoffs: local times)
The Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship
Bledisloe Cup - #1
(i) August 18: Qantas Wallabies v New Zealand, Sydney (ANZ), 8pm
August 18: South Africa v Argentina, Cape Town
Bledisloe Cup - #2
(ii) August 25: Qantas Wallabies v New Zealand, Auckland, 7.35pm
August 25: Argentina v South Africa, Mendoza
Mandela Challenge Plate - #1
(iii) September 8: Qantas Wallabies v South Africa, Perth, 6.30pm
September 8: New Zealand v Argentina, Wellington
(iv) September 15: Qantas Wallabies v Argentina, Gold Coast, 8pm
September 15: New Zealand v South Africa, Dunedin
Mandela Challenge Plate - #2
(v) September 29: Qantas Wallabies v South Africa, Pretoria, 3pm
September 29: Argentina v New Zealand, La Plata
(vi) October 6: Qantas Wallabies v Argentina, Rosario, 8pm
October 6: South Africa v New Zealand, Soweto
***
Castrol EDGE Bledisloe Cup Test - #3
(vii) October 20: Qantas Wallabies v New Zealand, Brisbane, 8pm
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