Coleman named for England Test

Thu, Nov 16, 2017, 2:52 PM
Beth Newman
by Beth Newman
Adam Coleman has been named to face England despite being under an injury cloud earlier in the week. That means head coach Michael Cheika has named an unchanged starting Qantas Wallabies side to face England this weekend.

Wallabies lock Adam Coleman has been named in the Wallabies' starting side to face England, but Michael Cheika admits the second rower is not 100 per cent fit.

Coleman hit his thumb playing for the Wallabies against Wales last weekend, but played through the injury in the final minutes, and was confident after the game that it would be okay.

He only played a bit part in training earlier in the week, with Thursday's training the decisive factor in the team selection.

The lock made it through the session, ultimately named for the Test, but will be closely monitored ahead of the game.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said Coleman wasn't completely fit, but had made it through the session better than expected.

"He is not 100 per cent. I would be lying if said he was 100 and you know I never lie," he said.

"I would say he got through today pretty good, better than I thought, and we would not pick him if we did not think he could do his job. He is a tough lad."

Samu Kerevi has retained his starting spot. Photo: Getty ImagesMichael Cheika has also backed Samu Kerevi in against England, keeping the Reds centre at 12, with Karmichael Hunt on the bench for the second week in a row.

Kerevi has made the most of his starting opportunities in the last fortnight, showing his progress in defence.

Though he wasn't as dominant against Wales as he was against Japan, Kerevi did enough to hold out Hunt in that starting lineup.

Cheika said Kerevi and Hunt had worked as a tag team well against Wales.

"Samu had more of a challenge last week, but he fought through it. Then together, they did the job quite nicely between the two of them," he said.

"Karmichael has been injured a fair bit before we got into this tour, maybe he'll get more minutes this week.

"I am a big fan of Samu. The more time he gets the better he is going to be."

Cheika has named an extended bench for the clash, with the final team to be named on Friday, as the side decides between a 6-2 or 5-3 bench.

Australia will take on England on Saturday November 18, kicking off at 3pm local, Sunday 2am AEDT, LIVE on beIN Sports and SBS.

TEAM

Wallabies team to face England

1. Scott Sio (41 Tests)

2. Tatafu Polota-Nau (80 Tests)

3. Sekope Kepu (89 Tests)

4. Rob Simmons (80 Tests)

5. Adam Coleman (20 Tests)

6. Ned Hanigan (11 Tests)

7. Michael Hooper (c) (77 Tests)

8. Sean McMahon (24 Tests)

9. Will Genia (vc) (86 Tests)

10. Bernard Foley (vc) (53 Tests)

11. Reece Hodge (22 Tests)

12. Samu Kerevi (16 Tests)

13. Tevita Kuridrani (56 Tests)

14. Marika Koroibete (6 Tests)

15. Kurtley Beale (69 Tests)

Reserves

16. Stephen Moore (127 Tests)

17. Tom Robertson (17 Tests)

18. Allan Alaalatoa (21 Tests)

19. Matt Philip (2 Tests)

20. Ben McCalman (51 Tests)

21. Lopeti Timani (10 Tests)

22. Nick Phipps (60 Tests)

23. Karmichael Hunt (4 Tests)

24. Henry Speight (19 Tests)

^one to be omitted

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