Injured flyhalf Stephen Larkham has been included in new Wallabies coach Eddie Jones' first squad for their opening Tri-Nations match against South Africa. Larkham was absent from the 29-23 final Test victory over the Lions on Saturday because of a shoulder injury he picked up in the second Test in Melbourne a week before.
Larkham is due to see a surgeon on Wednesday and depending on the outcome of that meeting, a decision would be make on Larkham's availability for the first Tri-Nations match in Pretoria. Elton Flatley, who deputised for Larkham in the third Test, has also been named in the 28-man squad. New South Wales player Manuel Edmonds has been placed on standby if Larkham is ruled out.
Following some excellent performances during the Test matches against the Lions, Jones is left with some difficult if welcoming selection choices to make. "The 22 who performed well on Saturday night are obviously in a favourable position," explained Jones. "We've got players such as David Giffin and Stephen Larkham to come back into the squad, so it's a matter of looking at those guys at training and making the best decision."
Australian squad: Backs - George Gregan, Chris Whitaker, Elton Flatley, Stephen Larkham (Manuel Edmonds on standby), Joe Roff, James Holbeck, Nathan Grey, Graeme Bond, Daniel Herbert, Andrew Walker, Chris Latham, Matthew Burke.
Forwards - Nick Stiles, Bill Young, Michael Foley, Brendan Cannon, Rod Moore, Ben Darwin, David Giffin, John Eales (captain), Justin Harrison, Mark Connors, Owen Finegan, Matt Cockbain, George Smith, Phil Waugh, Toutai Kefu, David Lyons.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
