With just 20 caps of Test experience between Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh, Joe Schmidt had no other choice but to bring James O'Connor into his Wallabies squad.
A successful night for the AUNZ Invitational XV could mean more than just a shock win over the British & Irish Lions at Adelaide Oval but could also be the catalyst for fringe players to earn international call-ups.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has named his 36-man squad for the three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions. Check out the full list of players here
James O'Connor will join James Slipper in playing against the British & Irish Lions series for a second time, after the veteran was recalled to the Wallabies squad by Joe Schmidt.
The Blues winger was named to start on the left wing after last weekend's injury to Sevu Reece, who went off with a category one HIA after just one minute in Dunedin.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has named a relatively consistent 23-man squad for the second Test in Wellington this weekend, featuring one debutant, Timoci Tavatavanawai off the bench for impact.
Speaking to RugbyPass, Curry shared insights on the experience of captaining in a format that blends global stars with local talent in one of the sport’s most ambitious expansions to date.
Moananu worked his way into the starting lineup of Rob Penney's Crusaders side at the start of the season, when All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor was out of the side.
This selection keeps the Vaa'i experiment going, while also giving the All Blacks a considerable amount of size with the three specialist locks in the starting forward pack.