No major changes for Wallabies

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones will not make changes for the sake of it this weekend when his team tackles Romania in Brisbane.

Having emerged with a solid victory over Argentina in the World Cup opener on Friday, Jones’ men have given themselves some breathing space in the battle to top Pool A.

With African minnows Namibia to play after the Romania clash before the crunch encounter with Ireland in Melbourne on November 1, it was thought Jones might be tempted to rest some of his key men at Suncorp Stadium.

However, after a recent poor run of form and eight weeks’ inactivity, Jones believes his Australian side would benefit more from continuity of selection.

So, although Stirling Mortlock and Chris Latham are both likely to be available to face Romania following recent illnesses, they may be frustrated in their selection hopes.

“We are trying to win a tournament here not give people Test experience,” he said.

“We have had a fairly consistent stance about team selection and we will make changes if we feel it improves the side.

“But consistency and continuity are important too and we are trying to build on what we achieved against Argentina on Friday night.”

Jones will be forced into at least one switch following the shoulder injury sustained by lock David Giffin in his horror tumble at the start of the second half.

Though the Australian vice-captain thankfully suffered no damage to his head during the incident, his participation in the rest of the tournament is in doubt and he will be rested this week in the hope he will be fit to face the Irish in three weeks’ time.

South African-born Daniel Vickerman is set to take Giffin’s place after earning his 12th cap as a replacement at Telstra Stadium against the Pumas.

With fellow former rugby league stars Mat Rogers and Wendell Sailor impressing on Friday, Lote Tuqiri might also hope for a start, although he may have to wait until the encounter with Namibia on October 25 as Jones looks to get some much-needed match practice into his players.

“Other than three simulated games, we had not played for three weeks before Friday night and a Test match is a completely different thing,” he said.

“We have benefited from the run out both individually and collectively and gained a lot from the overall performance.

“Our one-on-one defence was excellent and our forwards did an excellent job winning first phase ball.

“But one thing I was disappointed with was the depth of our attacking line and if we had come from deeper positions we might have finished off more of the breaks we made.

“But it gives us something specific to work on this week and we are moving on steadily.

“We have got one win behind us now and the Romania game to come. People have said various things about them but I thought they did okay against Ireland on Saturday and we will be treating them with respect.”