SYDNEY // Australia have made wholesale changes, including the selection of a prop who has never started a professional match, for tomorrow's Test against Italy in Padua.
The Australia coach Robbie Deans made eight changes to the starting side that lost to New Zealand in Hong Kong last weekend, giving some of his second-stringers the chance to impress while saving his top players for next week's clash with England at Twickenham.
Deans also included three uncapped players, prop Sekope Kepu, fly-half Quade Cooper and 18-year-old fullback James O'Connor, on his reserves bench.
O'Connor would become the second-youngest player to represent the Wallabies if he played. The youngest remains Queensland winger Brian Ford, who was 36 days younger when he made his debut as an 18-year-old against the All Blacks in 1957.
Prop Ben Alexander, who has made just two appearances for Australia off the bench and has never started a Super 14 match, was included in the run-on team for the first time.
He was among four changes to the starting pack, which has been the weakest link in Australian rugby for the past few years.
Flanker Phil Waugh, prop Matt Dunning and lock Hugh McMeniman were also called up, leaving No 8 Richard Brown, lock Mark Chisholm and hooker Stephen Moore as the only survivors from Hong Kong.
The backline also featured four changes. Inside centre Timana Tahu joins the skipper Stirling Mortlock in the midfield while wings Lachie Turner and Digby Ioane both earned recalls.
Utility back Berrick Barnes, making his first run-on appearance since returning from injury, was picked at fly-half despite normally playing at inside centre.
"We've got a demanding schedule ahead of us on this tour so sharing the work load is essential. We selected the touring party with that in mind," Deans said in a statement.
* Reuters
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
