Taqele Naiyaravoro, Sam Carter and James Hanson are joining the Wallabies in the USA as part of a 34-man squad for their upcoming Test against USA Eagles at Soldier Field, Chicago on Saturday (Sunday morning AEST).
Hanson and Carter will link with the squad in Indiana following solid performances during the opening rounds of the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship, while Naiyaravoro arrived at the team's camp at Notre Dame University from London this afternoon after playing in the Barbarians' 27-24 win over Samoa.
All three players were involved in last week’s camp in Sydney as part of the wider Wallabies training squad and will continue to play a role in the team's preparation for the USA match.
“There is a specific role for these players heading over here to the US, which will assist our preparations for this Saturday's match and the Rugby World Cup,” said Cheika.
“It’s crucial we continue to improve as a collective and having Taqele, Sam and James here in the US allows them to stay connected to the group, and will help us throughout our preparation and training."
125kg winger Naiyaravoro and hooker Hanson have been involved with the Wallabies squad since the opening training camp on the Sunshine Coast in July, while Brumbies lock Carter has impressed in his return from a serious knee injury.
“We’ve been watching Taqele with great interest throughout The Rugby Championship and during his World XV and Barbarians matches,” said Cheika.
“Sam has been very impressive at training since returning from injury and a standout during his NRC matches in recent weeks. Both he and James are arriving late to this camp as we wanted both players to fulfil their commitments to their respective NRC Clubs on the weekend."
The historic Test against the USA Eagles will be Australia's first in the USA in almost 40 years and just the fourth match the Wallabies have played on US soil.
The match kicks off at 6.40pm (US time) at Soldier Field, Chicago this Saturday 5 September (9.40am, Sunday 6 September AEST), with tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com. The match will be broadcast LIVE on FOX SPORTS 502 in Australia, beginning with pre-game coverage from 9.15am AEST on Sunday.
