The Wallabies have named their team to face Scotland for a one off Test on Tuesday at Newcastle with David Pocock as captain.
Pocock will become the 79th man to lead Australia in a Test match after regular skipper James Horwill was ruled out of the June Tests due to a ruptured hamstring.
Ten of the starting XV announced today for the International were rested from last weekend’s Super Rugby round, because the Reds and Force franchises had the bye, as were two of the bench.
A decision will also be made on which players leave the Wallabies squad after the Scotland match is completed.
The players selected today for the opening Test of the season will be joined by 16 others on tomorrow morning's bus to Newcastle, although the group will be trimmed back to 30 before the team moves on to Brisbane on Wednesday afternoon.
Horwill, Quade Cooper and Salesi Ma’afu will all be released from the national training squad in the morning.
Rebels lock Hugh Pyle and Brumbies fullback Jesse Mogg are the other training squad members who won’t be assembling in Newcastle.
Coach Robbie Deans felt that it was too soon to reintroduce Cooper to the Test arena, with more game-time needed before he was ready to take that step so he will return to Queensland to continue his rehabilitation.
"The time we’ve had with Quade this week has been useful, in terms of getting up to speed with where he is at, while also getting him involved with the group," Deans says.
"However it was clear, both from what he has done for Queensland and in training with us, that he needs more playing time if we can get it for him, before he is ready to play a Test. "
"Quade has done very well in getting back from what was a serious injury. Physically he is in great shape, but confidence is important in any sport and you only build that up with game time. "
"By spending the week with us, he at least now has the background, which gives him a head start when we need to call on him."
The starting XV for Tuesday night features five players who make their Test debuts.
This includes the former New Zealand Under-20 rep Mike Harris who qualifies for Wallabies on heritage grounds representing the birth place of his grandmother, will start from inside centre and handle the goal-kicking.
The squad had a brief period of training time together in the lead-up to the game and Sunday's training at Sydney Grammar is the first of just two runs the full combination will have together as a unit, Deans believes the playing group will come together quickly.
"Most of the players involved have either had plenty of previous background with us, or trained with us last week, so the combinations do have some history," Deans says.
Australia
Luke Morahan, Digby Ioane, Anthony Faingaa, Mike Harris, Joseph Tomane, Berrick Barnes, Will Genia, Scott Higginbotham, David Pocock (c), Dave Dennis, Nathan Sharpe, Sitaleki Timani, Dan Palmer, Stephen Moore, James Slipper
Replacements :Saia Fainga'a , Ben Alexander, Rob Simmons, Michael Hooper, Nick Phipps, Pat McCabe, Adam Ashley Cooper
Scotland
Stuart Hogg; Joe Ansbro , Nick De Luca , Matt Scott , Sean Lamont ; Greig Laidlaw , Mike Blair ; Ryan Grant , Ross Ford ( capt), Euan Murray ; Alastair Kellock , Richie Gray ; Alasdair Strokosch , Ross Rennie , John Barclay .
Replacements: Scott Lawson , Jon Welsh , Tom Ryder , Richie Vernon , Chris Cusiter , Duncan Weir , Tom Brown .
