Qantas Wallabies squad for June Arvo Test Rugby Series

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Qantas Wallabies 34-man squad for 2017 ‘Arvo’ Test Rugby Series

Forwards
Allan Alaalatoa, 9 Tests, Brumbies
Rory Arnold, 9 Tests, Brumbies
Adam Coleman, 9 Tests, Western Force
Sam Carter, 13 Tests, Brumbies
Jack Dempsey*, NSW Waratahs
Ned Hanigan*, NSW Waratahs
Richard Hardwick*, Western Force
Scott Higginbotham, 32 Tests, Queensland Reds
Michael Hooper, 65 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Sekope Kepu, 77 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Tolu Latu, 4 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Stephen Moore (c), 117 Tests, Queensland Reds
Tatafu Polota-Nau, 68 Tests, Western Force
Tom Robertson, 7 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Scott Sio, 30 Tests, Brumbies
Toby Smith, 4 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Lopeti Timani, 6 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Lukhan Tui*, Queensland Reds

Backs
Quade Cooper, 67 Tests, Queensland Reds
Israel Folau, 52 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Bernard Foley, 42 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Will Genia, 75 Tests, Stade Francais
Kyle Godwin, 1 Test, Brumbies
Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Tests, Western Force
Reece Hodge, 10 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Karmichael Hunt*, Queensland Reds
Samu Kerevi, 8 Tests, Queensland Reds
Marika Koroibete*, Melbourne Rebels
Tevita Kuridrani, 45 Tests, Brumbies
Eto Nabuli*, Queensland Reds
Sefa Naivalu, 6 Tests, Melbourne Rebels
Nick Phipps, 52 Tests, NSW Waratahs
Joe Powell*, Brumbies
Henry Speight, 11 Tests, Brumbies
*denotes uncapped player

Eight rookies named for June Test action

Qantas Wallabies Coach Michael Cheika has named eight uncapped players within his 34-man squad for the upcoming ‘Arvo’ Test Rugby Series against Fiji, Scotland and Italy, kicking-off on June 10. Cheika made the announcement live on FOX SPORTS’ Super Rugby:Kick & Chase tonight.

Young forwards Lukhan Tui, Richard Hardwick and Ned Hanigan have earned selection in their first Wallabies squad after a series of impressive performances in Vodafone Super Rugby.

Backs Joe Powell, Eto Nabuli and Karmichael Hunt will get their second taste in camp after featuring in the June squad last year, while Marika Koroibete has been named after experiencing his first taste in Wallabies camp on the 2016 Spring Tour.

Jack Dempsey, a development player on last year’s Northern Hemisphere Tour, has earned selection in the main squad after returning from an ankle injury last weekend for Gordon in Sydney’s Shute Shield.

Queensland forward Scott Higginbotham also re-joins the Wallabies fold for the first time in almost two years, after returning to the Reds this season following a stint in the Japanese Top League.

Will Genia is the only overseas based player named in the squad and will join the Wallabies in Melbourne after fulfilling his duties with French club Stade Francais.

Qantas Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said: “Last year we made a few changes for a certain reason, around bringing in a newer generation and looking at the longer term. We’re not going to give any Test caps away.”

“Out of the 13 debutants last year, there’s 11 of them in this squad and add to that a bunch of new guys with a lot of potential,” Cheika said.

The young squad has an average age of 26 years and average Test experience of 24 caps.

“It’s a strategy we want to pursue. Making the odd ‘out there’ selection that isn’t expected like Joe Powell last year but it’s planting the seed. No one is asking about Joe Powell this year as they know he’s made the step up to be in Wallabies contention,” Cheika said.

“Our young players are putting form on the board and some of our experienced players are showing they really want to be a part of the squad,” Cheika said.

The squad will convene in Melbourne on Sunday 4 June, following this weekend’s round of Vodafone Super Rugby.

All three Qantas Wallabies June Tests will kick-off at the family-friendly time of 3pm AEST – the first time in the professional era that all June Tests have featured afternoon kick-offs.

All three matches will be screened LIVE in High Definition and ad-break free during play on FOX SPORTS 501 from 2.30pm AEST and will be available to stream via Foxtel Go (for Foxtel subscribers).

The three Tests will also be screened LIVE in High Definition on TEN and WIN Network and on tenplay.com.au from 2.30pm AEST in all markets.

2017 Arvo Test Rugby Series
Qantas Wallabies vs Fiji at AAMI Park, 10th June, 3pm AEST
Qantas Wallabies vs Scotland at Allianz Stadium, 17th June, 3pm AEST
Qantas Wallabies vs Italy at Suncorp Stadium, 24th June, 3pm AEST

Qantas Wallabies Team announcement