The recall of Waratahs prop Benn Robinson is one of the main features of a 28-man Wallaby squad for their two-match tour to South Africa and Argentina.
Australia tackle the Springboks in Cape Town on Septemver 28 and the Pumas in Rossario a week later.
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The return of Australian captain James Horwill, from a left hamstring strain, will further strengthen a forward pack that has struggled in the set pieces this year.
Robinson, who was a member of Australia’s initial 40-man extending training squad in August, has been re-called by coach Ewen McKenzie following a series of impressive performances for Shute Shield c;ub finalist Eastwood over the past month.
“James has been working hard in rehab and is getting closer to a return while Benn has also impressed in club Rugby to earn himself another chance,” McKenzie said.
“The scrums have been inconsistent across all the Tests so far and we are now about to embark on a tough two-game road tour.
“We want to improve this area of our game and when you combine the Tests played between Ben and James we are bringing in another 99 games of experience up front.
“That’s invaluable when you are playing in hostile environments away from home.”
Reds front row forward Albert Anae, who is currently playing for Bay of Plenty in New Zealand’s NPC, has been added as the third hooker and can cover prop, while in the backs Joe Tomane returns from a minor shoulder injury and will join exciting 19-year-old winger and centre Chris Feauai-Sautia in the squad.
Their inclusion comes at an important time for the Wallabies, with outside backs Nick Cummins and Jesse Mogg both unavailable through injury.
Cummins will miss up to a month as he recovers from the broken hand he sustained in Australia’s gutsy 14-13 victory over Argentina at the weekend, while Mogg will undergo a complete shoulder construction and will be sidelined for six months.
Mogg has been battling a persistent shoulder issue throughout 2013 and in consultation with medical staff it was decided that the best outcome for him would be to undergo surgery now to ensure he would able to take part in next year’s Super Rugby competition and be fully fit for the 2014 June Test Series.
Waratahs duo Sitaleki Timani and Dave Dennis maintain their place within the group after being called into the Wallabies setup at the beginning of their preparations in Perth last week.
Flank Liam Gill and prop Scott Sio are the unlucky omissions but will remain on standby for a squad that will now target back-to-back Rugby Championship successes.
Australian squad: Ben Alexander, Sekope Kepu, Benn Robinson, James Slipper, Saia Faingaa, Stephen Moore, Albert Anae, Kane Douglas, James Horwill (capt), Rob Simmons, Sitaleki Timani, Dave Dennis, Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, Ben McCalman, Ben Mowen, Will Genia, Nic White, Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley, Matt Toomua, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, James O’Connor, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Joe Tomane, Israel Folau.