SYDNEY: Australia coach Michael Cheika has welcomed back inside centre Matt Toomua and replaced both locks for the third and final test against England in Sydney on Saturday as the Wallabies seek to stave off an embarrassing series whitewash.
Toomua makes his first test appearance of the year after recovering from a knee injury and replaces Samu Kerevi, who started in the Brisbane and Melbourne defeats but has been dropped from the match-day squad altogether.
Queensland Reds veteran Rob Simmons has been recalled to the team announced on Thursday after being dropped for the second test in Melbourne.
He will pair with imposing lock Will Skelton, who returns to the side for the first time since suffering an injury at the World Cup.
The starting locks in Melbourne, Sam Carter and Rory Arnold, have been omitted from the side after the 23-7 loss at the Rectangular Stadium.
Instead, Cheika has named uncapped Western Force lock Adam Coleman on a nine-man bench along with winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, who made his debut against the United States in the leadup to last year's World Cup.
The Wallabies have been criticised heavily for the manner of their series defeat, with England nullifying the hosts' running game with an iron-clad defence and composed match-management.
Cheika has said his team would stick to their game and they just needed to exploit their scoring opportunities when presented with them at Sydney Football Stadium.
"This Saturday's match against England is a real opportunity for the Wallabies to show the character I know they have on the field, for all our fans to see," Cheika said in a team release.
"We will continue to play rugby in our attacking style and we'll be aiming to do it with more consistent quality than we have in the first two matches."
Team:
15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Tevita Kuridrani, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Rob Horne, 10-Bernard Foley, 9-Nick Phipps, 8-Sean McMahon, 7-Michael Hooper, 6-Scott Fardy, 5-Rob Simmons, 4-Will Skelton, 3-Sekope Kepu, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-James Slipper
Replacements (one player to be omitted): Tatafu Polota-Nau, Scott Sio, Greg Holmes, Adam Coleman, Dean Mumm, Wycliff Palu, Nick Frisby, Christian Lealiifano, Taqele Naiyaravoro
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