Australia are used to facing backs the size of old-fashioned second rows when they face Wales but there will be a role reversal at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. The Wallabies have opted for size in midfield in the form of two Fiji-born players while the home side are deploying a fly-half at inside-centre.
Last year Wales had George North, Jamie Roberts and Alex Cuthbert in their three-quarter line against Australia, who were all 6ft 4in or more and weighed either side of 17st, but the emphasis now is on cruisers rather than bruisers and Owen Williams, the Gloucester fly-half, will make his first Test start, partnering Jonathan Davies in midfield.
Australia have Tevita Kuridrani and Samu Kerevi in the centre, who are both more than 6ft and a shade over 16st. “I do not think they are going to be too worried about throwing the ball around,” Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, said. “They are going to be pretty direct. The game is all about subtleties but you have to cross the gainline first of all.”
Australia will be direct but like Wales they have a second playmaker, Kurtley Beale, who takes over from the rested Israel Folau at full-back. It was the position where Beale spent most of his time with Wasps last season but he never wasted an opportunity to play at first or second receiver. The Wallabies will offer variety rather than predictability.
“The centres and our big boys up front gave us good, go-forward ball against Japan [last week],” said the scrum-half, Will Genia. “We want to take that into the Wales game but having two big centres does not change the way we play at all because we have Kurtley chiming in as the second ball player. It just gives us an extra big body.”
A year ago Australia won 32-8 in Cardiff, their 12th successive victory over opponents they have been grouped with in the World Cup. Only 10 of the players who started that match will take the fieldon Saturday, just three of them for Wales who have lost a number of players through injury and are using the autumn internationals to gauge their strength in depth. Australia have 13 of the side who began the victory over New Zealand three weeks ago.
Wales have only 37 caps on the bench compared with Australia’s 293 and have an average of 17 caps a man fewer in their match-day 23. Aaron Shingler and Josh Navidi are alongside Taulupe Faletau in the back row and Steff Evans, who also featured in the summer against Tonga and Samoa, is on the wing.
“I believe this team is capable of winning the World Cup given its experience and age-profile in two years’ time,” Gatland added. “That is why we are exposing some younger players now. I hope they’ve got confidence in their own ability and our whole focus this week has been about the next two years and how important Saturday is in terms of starting well.”
Australia have recovered after a poor start to the year when they lost at home to Scotland before being overrun by New Zealand in Sydney. “We have undergone a pretty big change since reaching the World Cup final two years ago,” Michael Cheika said. “We have given 25 players their first cap since then and we are a constant work-on.
The coach added: “When you are on tour in the north, mindset is everything. We have been working really hard to become consistent and get away from making excuses about why something happened. No one has talked this week about our recent record against Wales because this is a new game with a number of different players. The minute you start thinking about having a psychological advantage you give the opposition an opportunity. It will be tough and physical, as it always is here. We have to be focused.”
