The autumn international period will be kick-started in earnest at Twickenham this weekend, as Australia and the Barbarians do battle at the iconic venue for the Killik Cup.
The Wallabies boast one of the most enthralling back lines in world rugby and theyโll be looking for a strong performance against the Baa-Baas to kick-start their Spring tour. After this tune-up against the Barbarians, Mike Cheikaโs side will clash with Wales, France, Ireland and England over a three-week period.
As ever, the Barbarians squad is bristling with stellar names, meaning weโre set for an excellent 80 minutes of action. To ensure you miss none of it, hereโs all the information you need on where to catch the clash via an online stream and on the television.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 1
Time: 2:30 p.m. (GMT)
Live Stream: Sky Go App (UK)
TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK)
Big Decisions For The Wallabies
Usually the Killik Cup is a match thatโs used by coaches to experiment with team selections and try out players in various roles. But on the cusp of the match, there are no indications Australia will be going anything but full tilt in their attempts to win this one and set a strong precedent for the remainder of their tour.
That could see them welcome back the dynamic Kurtley Beale into the fold, despite the scandal surrounding the player recently. Per Robert Kitson of The Guardian, Beale received a ยฃ25,000 fine for sending a derogatory text message to former team business manager Di Patston. Consequently, he's been in the international wilderness for the past month.
But according to scrum-half Nick Phipps, the player deserves a chance to redeem himself on the field after having his reputation soured in recent weeks, per Kitsonโs piece:
"Heโs the first one to say he made a mistake โ itโs well documented.ย
What he did was not right in any way. But I think he deserves a chance...at the end of the day who doesnโt deserve a chance?
It would be great to have him back in the fold. Iโd love to have him around: heโs a great bloke and heโs been dragged through the mud a little bit in the last few months
"
Having struggled for form under former coach Ewen McKenzie, Cheika will be desperate to get this Australian team firing again. And with the World Cup set to take place in England in 2015, this tour to Europe will be a vital learning curve for the players involved as they look build toward the upcoming showpiece.
The new coachโwho took over from McKenzie in the wake of three straight defeats and the Beale scandalโhas hinted at a possible return for Quade Cooper, whose playmaking skills should do plenty to help fill the void left by Beale, per Liam FitzGibbon of the Sydney Morning Herald.
Cooperโs preparations for this match look to have been pretty robust to say the very least:
In addition, Will Genia should also get a chance to reclaim his place in the XV. He was regularly overlooked by McKenzie after returning from injury, but at his best, he's shown himself to be a vital player for the Australian team.
While the World Cup is something to work toward, thereโs little danger of a man of Cheikaโs meticulous make-up overshooting his preparations. His focus will be squarely on a prosperous spring tour, and at this juncture, the upcoming clash with Barbarian FC.
The Baa-Baas squad contains a few familiar foes to this Aussie team, one of which is undeniably New Zealand fly-half Colin Slade. The All Black broke Australian hearts in the nationsโ last meeting in Sydney, kicking a last-gasp conversion to help New Zealand 29-28 on the day. As noted by the Barbarian FC Twitter account, heโs not a man the Wallabies will be keen to see again:
These matches are typically wide open affairs that really treat the Twickenham crowd and when you look at the talent thatโll be on show, this one should be no different. Indeed, the last time these two metโwhile it wasnโt a close match at allโthere were 71 points scored, as Australia triumphed 60-11.
With the Wallabies going through a period of transition, a win by that margin looks extremely unlikely. Nonetheless, the Aussies should be fired up for this one ahead of whatโs a critical period for them.
Prediction: Barbarians 28-31 Australia
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