Australia set to welcome back key trio for Scotland showdown
INJURY UPDATE: Australia have received an injury boost ahead of Sunday’s clash against Scotland in Round Five of the Nations Championship at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium.
Head coach Les Kiss is expected to welcome back in his matchday squad Tom Hooper, Carter Gordon and Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who have all recovered from injuries.
Gordon will boost the Aussies’ flyhalf stocks after recovering from a broken leg he picked up against Argentina in September. Kiss could be tempted to start him ahead of Declan Meredith who struggled against England.
Hooper, meanwhile, has been struggling with a shoulder injury he sustained in July before re-aggravating it when on club duty with the Exeter Chiefs last month.
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It will be a welcome boost in the Aussie camp as they look to bounce back after their 22-45 loss against England in Round Four of the competition at the Allianz Stadium last week.
“Everyone’s on deck. We had a full training group last week, and those boys were in our sessions,” scrum coach John Ulugia said ahead of the Scotland clash.
“Tom Hooper’s a good player to have within the group, so we’ve kept close tabs on him. We’re just ticking the boxes there off his shoulder, making sure he’s good to go, and then hopefully by Friday when we name the team, he’s part of our group.”
Hooker, Paenga-Amosa has been dealing with a light knee issue that has hampered his preparation.
Ulugia believes his experience could help Australia tackle and improve on their set-piece frayalties.
“He just had a bit of knee bruising from our training camp in Sydney but nothing that could have stopped him from being called up [if needed],” Ulugia added.
“He’s got a wealth of experience at this level and played in Top 14, so he understands the importance of set-piece and adds a bit of experience there.”
Shifting his attention to the Scotland clash, Ulugia believes it will be the perfect opportunity to bounce back as they continue to build up to next year’s World Cup.
“I think we need it [defeat]. We don’t need to stay in it too long.
“From a motivational side of it, we’re looking forward to the home World Cup, and obviously, building towards that, we need to make sure that we’re performing away from home to build our confidence.
“Also, with the new coaching staff building towards 2027, getting some good results on this side of the world [is huge].”
Additional reporting: Australian Rugby
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