Wallabies hammered by injury toll

BY GREG GROWDEN

Waratahs halfback Luke Burgess will use the Super 14 semifinal to convince the test selectors he is worthy of regaining his starting spot at a time when Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has been swamped by injuries in almost every position.

Deans yesterday revealed he had lost 15 players for the opening international, against Fiji in Canberra on June 5, with one of the most pressing areas to fill being halfback, as Will Genia is expected to be sidelined until the end of next month because of a knee injury suffered in the Queensland Reds' final-round match on Saturday night.

It is a major problem because while Genia would be among the first picked in any Australian test team, the gap between him and the other halfback candidates is enormous.

Although Deans is an avid backer of Burgess, the NSW halfback's performances this season have not been exceptional, with his erratic efforts leading to him being recently replaced in the Waratahs starting line-up by Josh Holmes.

Form-wise, the ACT Brumbies' Josh Valentine has been the second-best Australian halfback, but there are doubts whether he will be called back to the Wallabies fold, and he could be overlooked for Brett Sheehan or Holmes. The starting position is Burgess's - as long as he gets his act together against the Stormers in the Cape Town semi-final on Sunday.

Genia, speaking at a function yesterday where Lexus was announced as an Australian Rugby Union sponsor, said it would be three weeks before he was running again.

The other area where Deans is short of options is in the front row, with props Ben Daley, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu and hooker Stephen Moore all sidelined.

Of the 15 unavailable players Deans listed, five (Robinson, Moore, James Horwill, Wycliff Palu and Genia) would have been definite test candidates to play Fiji if available. But as Deans also has to pick two Australian Barbarians teams (which is basically an Australia A line-up) to play England next month, he knows the importance of back-ups. This is why he was bobbing and weaving yesterday when asked if there would be any big selection bolters when he announces his Wallabies training squad on May 27.

''Yes, there will be some surprises. I doubt very much whether there will be anyone who will pick the exact combination. Then again, we don't know what it is yet,'' he said.

Deans also gave some hope of the Waratahs beating the Stormers and the Crusaders overcoming the Bulls, which would lead to a Super 14 final in Sydney on May 29.

''Anyone who makes it to this part of the competition is capable of pushing on,'' Deans said.

''They [the Waratahs] have probably the harder part of the equation, as the Crusaders, I believe, have the advantage of playing away from Loftus Versfeld. And it was a mistake by the Bulls to step away from the game and get off the horse so to speak [in resting 14 players last weekend].

''The Stormers are in the nascency of the climb, in that they have never won the title, and are desperate.

''Playing in Cape Town and with the potent mix they have, the Stormers have all the ingredients, so it will require a big effort to beat them. There's no doubt the Waratahs can do it, and if they do, the final will probably be in Sydney, which would be great.''

THE UNAVAILABLE XV

Backs: Will Genia (knee), Stirling Mortlock (back), Christian Lealiifano (knee rupture), Rod Davies (hamstring), Matt Toomua (Australian under-20s), Luke Morahan (Australian under-20s).

Forwards: Scott Higginbotham (ankle), Ben Daley (triceps), Benn Robinson (fractured arm), Wycliff Palu (knee), Stephen Moore (fractured jaw), James Horwill (knee), Rob Simmons (fractured cheekbone), Sekope Kepu (calf), Peter Kimlin (shoulder).

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