Source : ABC NEWS
Carter Gordon is back at five-eighth to steer the creaking ship as the Wallabies seek to urgently get back on course against Scotland at Murrayfield in the Nations Championship.
After the calamitous 45-22 thrashing by England at Twickenham, the Wallabies have made three changes, with Declan Meredith paying the price for a woeful outing against England.
Gordon is recalled just two months after breaking his leg against Argentina, with Ben Donaldson remaining as cover on the bench.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been shifted from the left wing to inside centre alongside Len Ikitau as coach Les Kiss changes the midfield partnership for the sixth successive Test.
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Star flanker Rob Valetini returns as the starting number 6 after the two-time John Eales Medal winner started from the bench last time out, in a familiar back-row partnership with skipper Harry Wilson and current player-of-the-year Fraser McReight.
With Tom Hooper and Brandan Paenga-Amosa making welcome comebacks on the bench after injury, Kiss wants to see a big response from his team who’ve suffered three heavy defeats on the bounce.
“We’ve had a good week of training but after falling short of our own expectations last week it’s vital we transfer our hard work onto the field for the 80 minutes on Sunday,” Kiss said.
“Playing Scotland on their home turf is a massive Test and we’re all determined to make our supporters proud by elevating our game to the level it needs to be.”
The Wallabies were well beaten by England at Twickenham. (Getty Images: RFU/Dan Mullan )
Winger Harry Potter is also back at the venue of his Test debut, with Suaalii back in midfield to replace the injured Isaac Henry. He’ll be partnering with Ikitau for the 18th time at Test level.
Western Force skipper Jeremy Williams shifts back to lock alongside Josh Canham after the experiment of playing him in the back row against England didn’t pay dividends.
Lachlan Shaw will play his first Test in Europe as the lock cover, while Hooper should be a valuable addition in the back row after his recent shoulder injury.
Scotland, meanwhile, have made two changes from their team that faded so badly against New Zealand last weekend, with Blair Kinghorn and record try-scorer Darcy Graham taking up positions in the back three.
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Australia-born players Sione Tuipulotu, captaining the side at centre, and number 8 Jack Dempsey, will both start for the Scots, who were well beaten by the All Blacks 21-43 last time out.
Former Australian under 20s star Tuipulotu played a big part in Scotland’s win over the Wallabies at Murrayfield two years ago.
Former Waratah’s player Dempsey played 14 times for the Wallabies, most recently in 2019.
AAP
