23 Nov 2013

Changes to Wallabies lineup

6:55 am on 23 November 2013

The Wallabies coach Ewan McKenzie has been forced to name an experimental backline for Sunday morning's test against Scotland at Murrayfield after injury further hampered a squad already depleted by disciplinary breaches.

Earlier this week McKenzie handed one-match bans to six members of his tour party and warned another nine after they breached team protocol with a drinking session ahead of their win over Ireland in Dublin.

Joe Tomane and Chris Feauai-Sautia will start on the wings.

Frontrowers Saia Fainga'a and Ben Alexander move onto the bench, while openside flanker Liam Gill has been replaced by Ben McCalman.

Waratahs prop Paddy Ryan was the only one of the six sanctioned players named in Saturday's squad with McKenzie forced to put him on the bench because of a lack of front row numbers in his tour party.

He will serve his one-match ban in the test against Wales in Cardiff next week.

McKenzie's squad was hit further by a hamstring injury to Matt Toomua and a five-week ban for Tevita Kurirani after a dangerous tackle in Dublin, meaning goalkicker Christian Leali'ifano will form a new centre pairing with the versatile Mike Harris.

Harris, a New Zealander, has played eight tests in a variety of positions for the Wallabies.

Team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Joe Tomane, 13-Christian Leali'ifano, 12-Mike Harris, 11-Chris Feauai-Sautia, 10-Quade Cooper, 9-Will Genia, 8-Ben Mowen (captain), 7-Michael Hooper, 6-Scott Fardy, 5-James Horwill, 4-Rob Simmons, 3-Sekope Kepu, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-James Slipper

Replacements: 16-Saia Fainga'a, 17-Ben Alexander, 18-Paddy Ryan, 19-Sitaleki Timani, 20-Ben McCalman, 21-Nic White, 22-Nick Phipps, 23-Bernard Foley