Wallabies coach opts for new centre duo

LONDON (AFP) - – Australia coach Robbie Deans sprang a surprise by naming on Thursday a new midfield combination in his team to play England in Saturday's Cook Cup clash at Twickenham.

The Kiwi has decided to bring Digby Ioane in off the wing to play at outside centre with Quade Cooper inside him after he impressed during the Wallabies' 36-5 win over English Premiership side Gloucester on Tuesday.

Queensland duo Ioane and Cooper have never been alongside one another in an international and for Ioane, winning his sixth cap, this will be his first Test as a centre.

In all, Australia have made three changes from the team that lost 32-19 to New Zealand in last Saturday's Bledisloe Cup match in Tokyo with star flanker George Smith, often a thorn in England's side, returning in place of back-row David Pocock, now on the bench.

Drew Mitchell replaces Ioane on the wing while Adam Ashley-Cooper moves out of the centres to full-back in place of James O'Connor.

Last weekend's match saw Ioane return from shoulder reconstruction surgery and Deans, speaking to reporters at Australia's hotel here on Thursday, said it was just a matter of time before the Reds back moved infield.

"He played outside centre for the whole of the Super 14 programme so we always saw him as an outside centre option but didn't feel it appropriate to put him straight in there," Deans said.

"But he came through the game well and played with confidence so we feel he is good to go now," the New Zealander added.

The 21-year-old Cooper is best known as a fly-half but Deans was impressed by the way he coped with a midfield role against Gloucester.

"Tuesday was influential for us in terms of Quade's selection. He just showed how he is coming of age and he has been rewarded for that.

"The way he defended, the way he organised, he was very much the senior party in the backline, brought some shape to the game when the boys were under pressure there."

Saturday's match is the first leg of a grand slam tour where Australia will try to match the 1984 Wallabies by completing a clean sweep of wins on the one trip over the four 'Home Unions' - England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

And Deans said the demands of playing five internationals in consecutive weeks had been a factor in his decision to start with Smith, a veteran of 106 Tests, against England, after the openside came off the bench in Tokyo.

"George Smith was always in the back of our minds," said Deans. "Po (Pocock) played outstandingly well in Tokyo but despite how good David Pocock and George Smith are in their roles, the reality is after five Tests in succession they wouldn't be as good."

Australia have lost six of their last seven Tests, albeit against the world's top-ranked teams in South Africa and New Zealand.

But a defeat against an injury-hit England, even one including star fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, the hero of the Red Rose's 2003 World Cup final win over Australia, would be far harder to explain away.

However, Deans insisted: "This stands alone, there's nothing in it at this level. England are playing at home this weekend, they will expect to win."

Australia won last November's corresponding Test at Twickenham 28-14.

While their injury problems are not a severe as those of England, the Wallabies will be without three of their key men in centre Berrick Barnes, back-row Phil Waugh and lock Nathan Sharpe this weekend.

Former captain Stirling Mortlock will miss the England clash with a calf strain but could be fit to face Six Nations champions Ireland in Dublin on November 15.

Australia team to play England in the Cook Cup international at Twickenham on Saturday (1430GMT):

(15-1):

Adam Ashley-Cooper; Peter Hynes, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Drew Mitchell; Matt Giteau, Will Genia; Wycliff Palu, George Smith, Rocky Elsom (capt); Mark Chisholm, James Horwill; Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson

Replacements: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Matt Dunning, Dean Mumm, David Pocock, Luke Burgess, Ryan Cross, James O'Connor