Burke handed Wallabies recall

Veteran utility back Matt Burke was today included in the Australia squad to play Argentina in Friday’s Rugby World Cup curtain-raiser after Stirling Mortlock was ruled out with gastroenteritis.

Burke will play at outside centre and is one of five changes made by Wallabies coach Eddie Jones to the side that surrendered the Bledisloe Cup to New Zealand in August.

Prop Alastair Baxter will make his first start in a Wallaby jersey, number eight David Lyons is the replacement for the injured Toutai Kefu, while Nathan Sharpe got the nod ahead of Daniel Vickerman in the second row.

Winger Joe Roff is back from injury while Mat Rogers has been switched from outside centre to fullback.

The move would originally have been intended to open up room for Mortlock, who had recovered from the shoulder surgery that ruled him out of the Wallabies’ June Tests and the Tri-Nations.

But after spending two days in bed, quarantined from the rest of the squad, the 26-year-old failed to meet last night’s fitness deadline.

Jones was then left to ponder whether to start with Burke or incumbent Rogers at outside centre.

But Chris Latham has not fully recovered from a bout of pneumonia suffered after the Tri-Nations, so moving Rogers to fullback and slotting Burke in at outside centre was the only real option.

“We’ve been doing a lot of testing on Chris since his hospitalisation with pneumonia after the Tri Nations series and the data is telling us that he’s not ready to play just yet,” said Dr Martin Raftery, who expects the Queenslander to be fit for selection next week.

Roff returns to the wing after recovering from a rib injury, squeezing Lote Tuqiri onto the bench.

Three of the changes have come in the pack, with NSW Waratahs tighthead Baxter promoted from the bench.

The 26-year-old will make his first Wallabies start after forcing his way into the squad with an exceptional display off the bench against the All Blacks.

Baxter leapfrogged Patricio Noriega and Glenn Panoho into the squad after proving he could provide Jones with just the athleticism he is looking for in a prop.

“It’s a great honour and very exciting to be in this position, I just can’t wait to play,” said Baxter.

“Yes, it’s been a rapid rise this year but the players and coaching staff have made my transition to Test rugby extremely smooth.”

Sharpe will start alongside David Giffin in the second row, with Vickerman on the bench, while Lyons fills the number eight jersey left vacant by Kefu, who misses the tournament with a broken shoulder.

“It’s a pretty young and exciting pack,” said Jones. “Playing Argentina is one of the great challenges for a forward and we’ve been working very hard on our scrum.”

World Cup winner Matt Cockbain returns to the bench for the first time since the November tour last year

Australia side to play Argentina on October 10 in Sydney is:

M Rogers; W Sailor, M Burke, E Flatley, J Roff; S Larkham, G Gregan (captain); B Young, B Cannon, A Baxter, D Giffin, N Sharpe, G Smith, P Waugh, D Lyons.

Replacements: J Paul, B Darwin, D Vickerman, M Cockbain, C Whitaker, M Giteau, L Tuqiri.