Mortlock to make captaincy debut
Cook Cup on the line in Melbourne
Wallabies Coach John Connolly on Wednesday named his team for Saturday's second Test against England at Melbourne's Telstra Dome. Stirling Mortlock will become the 73rd player to captain the Wallabies with regular skipper George Gregan named on the reserve bench.
Mortlock will captain the Wallabies for the first time and make his 43rd, overall, Test appearance.
Connolly has made three changes to his starting line-up after last Sunday's 34-3 victory at Telstra Stadium, with the winner of Saturday's Test to receive the Cook Cup.
Gregan will occupy a place on the replacements bench for the first time since 1996, while resurgent Reds scrum-half Sam Cordingley will resurrect his Test career after a six-year hiatus.
Cordingley last represented the Wallabies in a three-point loss to England at Twickenham in 2000. While it will be a significant match for Cordingley, 13-year Test veteran Gregan is in line to raise another career milestone.
If he takes the field on Saturday, the 33-year-old will become the most-capped international player in the history of the game, breaking Jason Leonard's record of 119 Test appearances for England and the British & Irish Lions.
Waratahs hooker Adam Freier has been called in from outside the 22 from the Wallabies' opening Test victory in Sydney last weekend and will start his first Test at hooker since his debut season of 2002.
Connolly has made one further change to his starting pack, selecting 114kg Brumbies lock Mark Chisholm at blindside flank, replacing Daniel Heenan, who is being rested with a minor shoulder injury.
With Chisholm moving into the Wallaby No.6 jersey for the first time in his career, Waratahs flanker Wycliff Palu earns his first-ever selection in a Wallaby 22 on the bench.
Connolly said player management was important.
"It was always our goal to broaden our player base leading up to the World Cup," he said.
"The load has increased on players with the expanded Super 14 season and a longer Test program, so it's matter of managing players as well as exposing more of the squad to this level."
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Stirling Mortlock (captain), 12 Mat Rogers, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 Sam Cordingley, 8 Rocky Elsom, 7 George Smith, 6 Mark Chisholm, 5 Dan Vickerman (vice-captain), 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Adam Freier, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Jeremy Paul, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Wycliff Palu, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 George Gregan, 21 Clyde Rathbone, 22 Cameron Shepherd.
Kick-off: 20.00 (10.00 GMT)
