LYON, France — Australia has opted to field a full-strength lineup for its first Rugby World Cup game against Japan on Saturday, rather than hold back its stars for a bigger match against Wales.
The starting 15 features 11 players with World Cup experience, and the combined squad facing the Japanese at Lyon will have more than 800 appearances in international rugby.
"We had always planned to play our strongest team for our first two pool matches," Australia coach John Connolly said Wednesday. "We want to build toward the Wales match with a strong performance on Saturday and we will get a good opportunity to do that against Japan."
After facing Japan, the Wallabies travel to Cardiff to face Wales on Sept. 15 at the Millennium Stadium, venue for their last World Cup final triumph in 1999. The other teams in Group B are Canadea and Fiji.
Fullback Chris Latham is back in Australia's starting lineup for the first time in nine months, although he went on as a replacement for 35 minutes in a Bledisloe Cup loss to New Zealand.
Latham, who turns 32 on Saturday, missed the bulk of the season following a knee reconstruction to repair damage sustained in a training mishap for Queensland. He was one of the key players in Australia's run to the final against England in 2003.
Lote Tuqiri missed Australia's last two internationals while serving a two-match ban for an off-field indiscretion and returns on the left wing.
That leaves the other winger, Adam Ashley-Cooper, as the only member of the backline without World Cup experience.
Scrum half George Gregan will start his fourth World Cup, and his world-record 135th international match, in the No. 9 jersey in an important combination with fly half Stephen Larkham.
Both are retiring from international rugby after the tournament and Connolly was eager to get uncapped Berrick Barnes into the mix as a possible successor to Larkham, a 101-Test veteran.
Barnes, the youngest player in the squad at 21, was among three backs and four forwards on the reserves bench.
All the reserves are World Cup rookies, along with starting hooker Stephen Moore and back-row forwards Wycliff Palu and Rocky Elsom.
In the front row, Al Baxter was named at tighthead over Guy Shepherdson, who had a disrupted preparation due to a knee problem.
There was no place for Phil Waugh in the 22-man squad, with Stephen Hoiles slotting in as the reserve back-rower and Hugh McMeniman the replacement lock.
Australia has won all three previous matches against Japan, including a 42-23 victory in their last encounter at the 1987 World Cup.
The Wallabies trained in Montpellier on Wednesday prior to leaving for Lyon on Thursday, the day before the World Cup opens in Paris.
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Australia
Chris Latham, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Stirling Mortlock (capt.), Matt Giteau, Lote Tuqiri, Stephen Larkham, George Gregan; Matt Dunning, Stephen Moore, Al Baxter, Nathan Sharpe, Dan Vickerman, Rocky Elsom, George Smith, Wycliff Palu.
Replacements: Adam Freier, Guy Shepherdson, Hugh McMeniman, Stephen Hoiles, Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Mark Gerrard.
