Wallaby fullback Kurtley Beale has been named to start the Rugby World Cup Semi-final against New Zealand but will be given until l Saturday to prove his fitness.
Beale has been bracketed with Adam Ashley-Cooper at fullback in the team that was announced for the knockout clash.
Anthony Fainga’a was also on standby to play center if Beale was ruled out and Ashley-Cooper has to switch to fullback for Sunday’s match.
Beale strained his hamstring in the 11-9 quarterfinal win over South Africa last weekend in Wellington.
Coach Robbie Deans will make a decision at the captain’s run on Saturday on Beale’s fitness.
“He’ll have to convince us that he’s 100 percent,” Deans said.
Asked if wanted to delay the decision to Sunday, Deans added, “We could, but we won’t.”
“He ran this morning. He did a significant amount of running. He was comfortable. He’ll have to go again tomorrow, show he’s had no ill effects, convince himself personally, and then us.”
Beale has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation, and his teammates have said all week that starting without him on Eden Park would be a severe blow.
“If Kurtley can’t take his place, we’ve had every opportunity to prepare anyway,” Deans said.
“We’ll deal with it in real time and move on. The team has prepared well, it won’t be a distraction for them.”
In the only other change to the squad, lock Rob Simmons has been promoted to the reserves bench at the expense of 99-test veteran Nathan Sharpe.
“We make the decisions we believe are going to be best for us. Emotion is definitely part of it,” Deans said. “But in terms of sentiment – talking about the hundred – those sorts of things don’t come into consideration.”
Deans said the selection of Simmons reflected a “horses for courses” approach and would give Australia a more abrasive edge against the All Blacks pack.
“Rob is athletic. He’s got a slightly different skillset to Sharpey,” Deans said. “We anticipate very much a lateral challenge. They will move the ball. That’s the point of difference between Simmons and Sharpe.”
Center Pat McCabe, who recovered from a shoulder injury to start in the quarterfinal, again has overcome a shoulder problem to take his place at inside center.
Deans said McCabe was in better shape than he was in the week leading up to the quarterfinal and was well prepared for Sunday’s challenge.
Prop Sekope Kepu recovered from rolling his ankle and was retained in an unchanged starting forward pack.
Australia edged New Zealand in the semifinals en route to its first World Cup title in 1991 and, after winning the World Cup again in 1999, beat the All Blacks in the 2003 semifinals before losing in extra time to England.
Australia heads into the match as the Tri-Nations champion, beating New Zealand in the series-deciding match in Brisbane in August, but hasn’t won a match at Eden Park since 1986.
Australia:
15 Kurtley Beale (or Adam Ashley-Cooper), 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper (or Anthony Fainga’a), 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill (C), 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Fainga’a (or Rob Horne).