Scott Fardy is the biggest casualty of Michael Cheika’s axe for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand in Sydney. Fardy makes way for a back row of Ben McCalman, Michael Hooper and David Pocock. TheWallabies will be looking to return to winning ways having lost their last four matches. Three of which were a humiliating June Test Series whitewash to England and the other the Rugby World Cup Final against the All Blacks.

SCOTT FARDY BENCHED FOR OPENING BLEDISLOE MATCH

Focus on the Back Row

Australia’s successful World Cup campaign and the preceding Rugby Championship was built upon its back row. The ‘Po-oper’ combination of Pocock and Hooper dominated the headlines and highlighted why the Wallabies were able to dominate sides at the breakdown. Scott Fardy was at times a forgotten man when all the superlatives were being thrown around about that back row combination. Yet many would argue he did the grunt work off the ball that gave Hooper and Pocock the opportunities to thrive. Fardy generated his own cult following who love the hard man image of a player who constantly appears to be bleeding from some part of his head.