Australia ‘A’ head coach Jason Gilmore has announced a strong matchday squad for their highly anticipated match against Tonga in Nuku’alofa on Friday, with experienced fly-half Bernard Foley named as captain.
Foley is joined in the half-backs by Waratahs scrum-half Jake Gordon while veteran utility back James O’Connor lines up at inside centre alongside Joey Walton as the midfield combination.
The rest of the backline sees Jock Campbell starting at full-back while Lachlan Anderson and Corey Toole join him on the wings to form an exciting back three.
Up front, Wallabies star Taniela Tupou is set to make his long-awaited return from an Achilles injury as he starts tighthead prop, while Folau Fainga’a and Tom Lambert will pack down alongside him at hooker and loosehead prop respectively.
Meanwhile, the experienced duo of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Caderyn Neville will start in the engine room while Lachie Swinton (blindside flank), Brad Wilkin (openside flank) and Seru Uru (number eight) form a potent back-row.
Experienced replacements bench
There is plenty of experience on the bench with Lachlan Lonergan, Angus Wagner, Sam Talakai, Ned Hanigan and Harry Wilson named as the forward replacements, while Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Ollie Sapsford and Josh Flook are the backline cover.
Gilmore is pleased to name such a strong outfit and said there’s lots of excitement in the Australia ‘A’ camp ahead of Friday’s encounter.
“Preparation has been good, the boys have been excellent and I think we’re looking pretty sound,” he told Rugby Australia’s official website.
“It’s great to have a few of our Tongan boys like Nela and Folau over here with us – we had a great reception at the airport and we’re looking forward to a really special game for all our boys, in particular those with Tongan heritage.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who have captained at Super Rugby level and a lot of natural leadership around the squad but we think Bernard is a great choice to lead.
“He’s got a lot of experience, played at two World Cups and just led Kubota to a win over in Japan – he’s in form and will do a good job for us.”
Australia ‘A’: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Lachlan Anderson, 13 Joey Walton, 12 James O’Connor, 11 Corey Toole, 10 Bernard Foley (c), 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Seru Uru, 7 Brad Wilkin, 6 Lachlan Swinton, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Tom Lambert
Replacements: 16 Lachlan Lonergan, 17 Angus Wagner, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Ned Hanigan, 20 Harry Wilson, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Ollie Sapsford, 23 Josh Flook
Date: Friday, July 14
Venue: Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku’alofa
Kick-off: 15:00 local (03:00 BST, 02:00 GMT)
Referee: TBC
Assistant Referees: TBC
TMO: TBC
READ MORE: Star Wallaby front-row to make long-awaited return with Australia ‘A’ side
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