Chris Whittaker will lead Australia for the first time after Wallabies coach Eddie Jones made the expected sweeping changes to his starting line-up for his team’s World Cup pool match against Namibia in Adelaide on Saturday.

AUSTRALIAN captain George Gregan will almost certainly miss his team’s next World Cup match but should be fit to face Ireland in the crucial Pool A clash in Sydney on November 1.

A thigh injury to captain George Gregan was the unwelcome side-effect for Australia after an otherwise cathartic evening’s work in which they thrashed Romania 90-8 in Brisbane.