Thirty nine players have today been named for the Qantas Wallabies train on squad ahead of the 2012 international season.

Qantas Wallabies Train On Squad Announced

Thirty nine players have today been named for the Qantas Wallabies train on squad ahead of the 2012 international season.

The Queensland Reds and Western Force members of the squad have assembled in Sydney this evening. They will be joined midweek by players from the other franchises, who will spend Wednesday with the national side before returning to their respective state sides to prepare for the upcoming Fx Pro Super Rugby round.

Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans appreciates the assistance the franchises have provided, in releasing the players, in order that they can get some background ahead of the full squad assembly on Sunday June 3.

“The cooperation of the franchises has been considerable and we appreciate that,” Deans says.

“We’ve obviously sought to have as little disruption to their campaigns as is possible, but the solution provided by utilising the training day off does at least allow us to get the players started – both with organisational logistics and training background – as we will have to hit the ground running once the final group gathers.”

Deans and his fellow selectors, coaching coordinator Tony McGahan and David Nucifora; will name the match night squad to play the Castrol EDGE Rugby International against Scotland on June 3.

That is just 48 hours before the historic match, which will represent the first Test match to have been held at Newcastle.

Although acknowledging that it will be a tight preparation, Deans says delaying the naming until after the final match featuring Australian participation in the weekend’s Super Rugby round had concluded; was imperative.

“We can’t finalise a side for that match until all of the games are played, and we are in a position to assess all of the players,” Deans says.

“Obviously we have preliminary ideas but the selection template is a living document. It can, and probably will change, as a result of events through the final round of Super Rugby before the international break.”

The manner in which selection plans can be disrupted was evidenced last evening with the hamstring injury suffered by Qantas Wallabies skipper James Horwill.

Although Horwill has assembled in Sydney and will have scans tomorrow, it is expected that he will be ruled out of the June Tests meaning that the Qantas Wallabies will have a new captain for those matches.

Flyhalf Kurtley Beale is also potentially in doubt after injuring his shoulder playing for the Melbourne Rebels in Wellington last night.

Beale had scans this evening, and while he has still been selected, a time-scale as to when he can return to training and play is still to be determined.

The injury cloud over Beale, and the existing injury which has sidelined James O’Connor, has resulted in the selection of Quade Cooper, even though the Queensland Reds flyhalf has had just 120 minutes of playing time in his comeback from the knee ligaments he ruptured at last year’s Rugby World Cup.

While acknowledging that Cooper was short of match play, Deans says that calling him into training with the national squad will help assist with bringing him up to speed for a return to a Test arena.

As well as the match night twenty-two for the Scotland Test, the remainder of the Qantas Wallabies squad that will train ahead of the Castrol EDGE Wales Tour will also be confirmed next Sunday, although the exact size of that group, and how many of the players will depart after the Scotland Test, won’t be confirmed until after that Test has been played.

“We are effectively having to select two combinations at the same time, as the first Castrol EDGE Wales Tour Test in Brisbane follows just four days after the game in Newcastle, so we need to have an up-to-date picture before we complete that process,” Deans says.

Fifteen of the players named tonight are yet to represent Australia in a Test match.

The state representation within the training squad is as follows –

Queensland Reds 11 players, NSW Waratahs 11, Brumbies eight, Melbourne Rebels five and Western Force four.

The Qantas Wallabies train on squad is:

Player Position State Age Appearances

Ben Alexander	Prop	Brumbies	27	36
Adam Ashley-Cooper	Fullback-Wing-Outside Centre	NSW Waratahs	28	64
Berrick Barnes	Flyhalf/Inside Centre	NSW Waratahs	26	37
Kurtley Beale	Fullback	Melbourne Rebels	23	24
Quade Cooper	Flyhalf	Queensland Reds	23	35
Dave Dennis	Loose Forward	NSW Waratahs	26	Uncapped
Kane Douglas	Lock	NSW Waratahs	22	Uncapped
Anthony Faingaa	Inside Centre	Queensland Reds	25	14
Saia Faingaa	Hooker	Queensland Reds	25	16
Bernard Foley	Flyhalf/Fullback	NSW Waratahs	22	Uncapped
Will Genia	Halfback	Queensland Reds	24	34
Michael Harris	Inside Centre	Queensland Reds	23	Uncapped
Scott Higginbotham	Loose forward	Queensland Reds	25	11
Michael Hooper	Flanker	Brumbies	20	Uncapped
Rob Horne	Centre	NSW Waratahs	22	9
Digby Ioane	Wing	Queensland Reds	26	21
Sekope Kepu	Prop	NSW Waratahs	26	14
Salesi Ma’afu	Prop	Western Force	29	14
Pat McCabe	Inside Centre	Brumbies	24	11
Ben McCalman	Loose Forward	Western Force	24	21
Jesse Mogg	Fullback	Brumbies	22	Uncapped
Stephen Moore	Hooker	Brumbies	29	66
Luke Morahan	Fullback	Queensland Reds	22	Uncapped
Cadeyrn Neville	Lock	Melbourne Rebels	23	Uncapped
Dan Palmer	Prop	Brumbies	23	Uncapped
Wycliff Palu	No 8	NSW Waratahs	29	38
Nick Phipps	Halfback	Melbourne Rebels	23	3
David Pocock	Flanker	Western Force	24	40
Tatafu Polota Nau	Hooker	NSW Waratahs	26	32
Hugh Pyle	Lock	Melbourne Rebels	22	Uncapped
Benn Robinson	Prop	NSW Waratahs	27	42
Nathan Sharpe	Lock	Western Force	34	101
Dominic Shipperley	Wing	Queensland Reds	21	Uncapped
Rob Simmons	Lock	Queensland Reds	23	16
James Slipper	Prop	Queensland Reds	22	22
Sitaleki Timani	Lock	NSW Waratahs	25	1
Joseph Tomane	Wing	Brumbies	22	Uncapped
Cooper Vuna	Wing	Melbourne Rebels	24	Uncapped
Nic White	Halfback	Brumbies	22	Uncapped

2012 Qantas Wallabies Coaching & Management Team

Head Coach: Robbie Deans

Coaching Coordinator: Tony McGahan*

Forwards Coach: Andrew Blades*

Coaching Assistant: Nick Scrivener*

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ashley Jones*

Manager: Bob Egerton

Logistics Manager: Matt Sheppard*

Doctor: Dr Warren MacDonald

Physiotherapist: Andrew Ryan

Physiotherapist: Ed Fitzgerald

Analyst: Andrew Sullivan

Media Manager: Matt McILraith

*denotes new member of the management team

2012 Castrol EDGE Test Series Schedule

(all kick offs: local times)

Castrol EDGE Rugby International – Hopetoun Cup

(i) June 5: Qantas Wallabies v Scotland, Newcastle, 7.30pm

Castrol EDGE Wales Tour – James Bevan Trophy

(ii) June 9: Qantas Wallabies v Wales, Brisbane, 8pm

(iii) June 16: Qantas Wallabies v Wales, Melbourne, 8pm

(iv) June 23: Qantas Wallabies v Wales, Sydney (SFS), 3pm

The Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship

Bledisloe Cup – #1

(v) August 18: Qantas Wallabies v New Zealand, Sydney (ANZ), 8pm

August 18: South Africa v Argentina, Cape Town

Bledisloe Cup – #2

(vi) August 25: Qantas Wallabies v New Zealand, Auckland, 7.35pm

August 25: Argentina v South Africa, Mendoza

Mandela Challenge Plate – #1

(vii) September 8: Qantas Wallabies v South Africa, Perth, 6.30pm

September 8: New Zealand v Argentina, Wellington

(viii) September 15: Qantas Wallabies v Argentina, Gold Coast, 8pm

September 15: New Zealand v South Africa, Dunedin

Mandela Challenge Plate – #2

(ix) September 29: Qantas Wallabies v South Africa, Pretoria, 3pm

September 29: Argentina v New Zealand, La Plata

(x) October 6: Qantas Wallabies v Argentina, Rosario, 8pm

October 6: South Africa v New Zealand, Soweto

Castrol EDGE Bledisloe Cup Test – #3

(xi) October 20: Qantas Wallabies v New Zealand, Brisbane, 8pm