Rob Horne added to Wallabies squad for Tri Nations encounter against All Blacks - Rugby
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has revealed the 22nd member of their match day squad for their Tri Nations decider against the All Blacks. Australian Super Rugby franchise, Waratahs, centre Rob Horne is named as the member of the Wallabies squad
for their weekend encounter against New Zealand.
ARU announced Horne’s inclusion in the squad on Friday, August 26, following his exceptional performance for the Australian Barbaas.
Earlier this week, Wallabies head coach, Robbie Deans, announced his 21-member squad for their 2011 Tri Nations’ last match against the All Blacks. Wallabies will host the All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane on Saturday, August 27.
Horne will be making a return to the international arena after a lapse of approximately a year. Earlier, ARU named Horne in the Australian Barbarians squad, for their match against the Canadian national Rugby Union team, to give him a match run.
The New Zealand bound Canadian team played against the Australian Barbarians as part of their pre-world cup preparations. The match was played at Skilled Park on Friday, August 26.
Horne made a significant contribution in the Australian Barbaas 38 – 14 win over the visiting Canadian side. He scored the first try of the match and delivered exceptional performance throughout the first-half.
Horne sustained a season ending elbow injury during last years’ Tri Nations tournament. He was sidelined from the game and was not named in the Wallabies initial 40-man team for their 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) campaign.
To rehabilitate from the elbow injury and the subsequent surgery, Horner mostly worked at the Southern Districts club in Sydney's Shute Shield competition. Later in July, he trained with the Wallabies provisional RWC squad.
The training helped him to improve his recovery as Fridays’ encounter against the international team helped the ARU to assess his match fitness.
Horne has already been named in the Wallabies final 30-man squad for their 2011 RWC and Saturday’s encounter against the All Blacks will give him an opportunity to push his case for selection in the Wallabies match day 22 for their 2011 RWC opener.
The 22-year-old Horne made his international debut for the Wallabies in 2010 against the touring Flying Fijian side and he has made six international appearances for the Wallabies. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Waratahs during the 2008 Super 14 competition.
So far he has made 30 appearances for the Waratahs and has scored 30 points for them.
The complete Wallabies squad for their Saturday encounter against the All Blacks consists of,
15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Anthony Fainga'a, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill, 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Salesi Ma'afu, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Rob Horne.
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