Tuqiri gets Wallaby call-up for Scotland game

Australia coach Eddie Jones has made two significant changes to his back line for their World Cup quarter-final against Scotland…

Australia coach Eddie Jones has made two significant changes to his back line for their World Cup quarter-final against Scotland on Saturday.

Jones, criticised for relying on conservative tactics, has brought former rugby league international Lote Tuqiri in on the left wing and also opted for the greater line-breaking ability of Stirling Mortlock in the centres.

The selection of Tuqiri comes at the expense of Joe Roff, while Mortlock has claimed the centre slot from the injured Matt Burke.

"Stirling's going to bring some new attributes to the game and one of those is his line-breaking ability," said Jones.

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"Having said that, Matt Burke's done very well for us at outside centre," he said, while admitting that Roff's demotion followed a disappointing performance against Ireland.

"Joe was below his best and we thought a break on the bench might be the best thing for him. Lote's our next best option at left winger and certainly deserves the opportunity."

The selection of Tuqiri means he will form an ex-rugby league starting back three with Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers for the first time.

The trio have appeared together for the Wallabies, but that was during the Tri-Nations matches when Jones was employing Rogers at centre rather than full-back.

The other major change for the Wallabies is on the bench, where Justin Harrison comes in for Daniel Vickerman.

Harrison is likely to appear at some stage, bringing his line-out skills into play against a Scottish team known for its power and accuracy in that area of the game.

Australia also lost five of their own line-outs in the one-point win over Ireland in their final pool match, and Jones is anxious to avoid a similar scenario against Scotland.

"We've got to improve our line-out work and our wide breakdown work, and those are two areas we're sure that Scotland will target us in," he said. "We need Justin's line-out experience for those crucial parts of the second half."

Australia:M Rogers (NSW); W Sailor (Queensland), S Mortlock (ACT), E Flatley (Queensland), L Tuqiri (NSW); S Larkham (ACT), G Gregan (ACT); B Young (ACT), B Cannon (NSW), B Darwin (ACT), D Giffin (ACT), N Sharpe (Queensland), G Smith (ACT), P Waugh (NSW), D Lyons (NSW).

Replacements:J Paul (ACT), A Baxter (NSW), J Harrison (NSW), M Cockbain (Queensland), C Whitaker (NSW), M Giteau (ACT), J Roff (ACT).