Qantas Wallabies Travelling Party to Auckland Named

The 24-man Qantas Wallabies travelling party for Saturday night’s Castrol Edge Tri Nations Series Test in Auckland has been named. The touring group includes 20 of the players who formed the match night squad when Australia beat South Africa 39-20 in Sydney on 23 July to open the series.

The additions are the NSW Waratahs quartet of halfback Luke Burgess, winger Lachie Turner and second rowers Dan Vickerman and Sitaleki Timani.

Burgess returns after proving his fitness following rehabilitation on a fractured hand, which he broke in training prior to the NSW Waratahs trip to Auckland for the qualifying semi-final of Super Rugby in June.

Turner is included in the travelling group after pleasing during recent outings for his Sydney club Eastwood, which included scoring a try during last weekend’s win by the Shute Shield front-runners over Parramatta.

Vickerman also featured strongly for Sydney University last weekend, getting through a full 80 minutes as the students over ran Northern Suburbs.

The 56-cap lock forward, returned to the Wallabies for the first time since 2008 when he appeared off the bench during the Castrol Edge Rugby Test against Samoa in Sydney last month.

Timani made his international debut in the same match after impressing for the Waratahs during the back end of the Super Rugby competition.

The players who have been omitted from the match night squad Australia fielded during the tournament opener are halfback Nick Phipps and lock Nathan Sharpe.

The Qantas Wallabies wrap up their training camp at The Southport School on the Gold Coast today, and will fly to Auckland tomorrow afternoon, arriving in New Zealand just before midnight local time.

Saturday night’s Test, at a ground where the All Blacks have been undefeated for 17 years, is the third match of this year’s Tri Nations, with Australia and New Zealand tied on five log points after both gained bonus point victories over South Africa in their respective opening matches.

The Australian squad heads to South Africa after the Auckland match, with the travelling squad for the team’s assignment in Durban on Saturday week extended to 26 players, with the extra players to be collected en-route on Sunday. The extra players for that trip will be confirmed after this weekend’s Test.

After Saturday night’s Test in Auckland, Australia and New Zealand will square off again in front of a sell out crowd at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on August 27. 

QANTAS WALLABIES 24-MAN AUCKLAND TOURING PARTY