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Cooper, Higginbotham miss out on Wallabies selection

Australia’s Quade Cooper

Quade Cooper and Scott Higginbotham were left out of the Wallabies’ train-on squad as coach Michael Cheika included 11 uncapped players.

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Cooper, 29, and Higginbotham, 30, missed out on selection in a 38-man squad for intensive camps ahead of the Bledisloe Cup opener against New Zealand.

A veteran of 70 Tests, Cooper featured against Italy last month, while Higginbotham played against Scotland.

Kurtley Beale, 28, was included in an Australia squad for the first time since the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

There are 11 uncapped players, with Sef Fa’agase, Adam Korczyk, Izack Rodda, Jordan Uelese, Campbell Magnay, Billy Meakes and Curtis Rona in a Wallabies squad for the first time.

“We have a lot of work to get done between now and August 19 when we play New Zealand in Sydney,” Cheika said.

“That work started in June, we tried to maintain some of that throughout the last rounds of Super Rugby and now we start to take it up a level.

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“We want all of these guys to be very clear on what the trademarks are of the Wallabies game and then be equipped and ready to deliver it when asked to enter the arena for Australia, whether it’s for five minutes or the whole 80 minutes of every Test this season.

“That is what our objective will be over the next couple of weeks and I can’t wait to get stuck into it.”

No Brumbies players were included in the squad due to their participation in the Super Rugby finals.

Australia: Jermaine Ainsley, Kurtley Beale, Adam Coleman, Pek Cowan, Jack Dempsey, Kane Douglas, Sef Fa’agase, Tetera Faulkner, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Ned Hanigan, Richard Hardwick, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Michael Hooper, Karmichael Hunt, Sekope Kepu, Samu Kerevi, Adam Korczyk, Marika Koroibete, Tolu Latu, Campbell Magnay, Sean McMahon, Billy Meakes, Stephen Moore, Eto Nabuli, Sefa Naivalu, Izaia Perese, Nick Phipps, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson, Izack Rodda, Curtis Rona, Rob Simmons, Lopeti Timani, Taniela Tupou, Jordan Uelese.

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Nickers 30 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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