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In naming his line-up for Uruguay Australian Head Coach Michael Cheika has shown why it is fine for Tier 1 teams to be asked to back-up and play a second match on a short turn-around. Cheika has made 14 changes to his team with Scott Sio being the only remaining player from the side that defeated Fiji in Cardiff on Wednesday.
The world’s number two will face the second-lowest ranked World Cup participant, Uruguay at Villa Park in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon. With England taking-on Wales in Pool A’s other fixture this weekend Australia is in a position to earn maximum points before facing the two host nations over the subsequent weekends.
Named as captain vs Uruguay is Dean Mumm who scored an impressive try against Argentina in Mendoza in this year’s Rugby Championship. Mumm will be joined by another New Zealand-born Wallaby, Will Skelton in the second-row.
Australia
1 Scott Sio, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 3 Toby Smith, 4 Dean Mumm (Captain), 5 Will Skelton, 6 Ben McCalman, 7 Sean McMahon, 8 Wycliff Palu, 9 Nick Phipps, 10 Quade Cooper, 11 Drew Mitchell, 12 Matt Toomua, 13 Henry Speight, 14 Joe Tomane, 15 Kurtley Beale
16 Stephen Moore, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Rob Simmons, 21 Will Genia, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Tevita Kuridrani
