EDINBURGH – Former Australia captain Stephen Moore will lead the team out for his 129th international and last game of rugby on Saturday after being named as the starting hooker in the team to face Scotland at Murrayfield.
Coach Michael Cheika on Thursday selected Moore, who will retire from the sport after the match, ahead of Tatafu Polota-Nau in one of two changes from the side that lost 30-6 to England at Twickenham last weekend.
The 34-year-old Moore had planned on playing one more Super Rugby season with the Reds, but earlier this week decided the Wallabies’ clash with Scotland would be the last game of a 15-year career.
“I’d started planning for life after rugby since announcing my retirement from the international game back in July this year, and the opportunity that I was exploring materialised probably six months earlier than I had expected,” said Moore, who made his Australia debut 12 years ago.
Ben McCalman has been brought in on the flank to replace the injured Ned Hanigan in the other change.
Tonga-born prop Taniela Tupou has been thrown straight into the match-day 23-man squad two days after becoming eligible to play for Australia and is likely to get his first run out on Saturday.
Tupou joined the squad last week in London.
Australia meet Scotland for a second time this year after a surprise 24-19 loss in Sydney in June.
It is also the last game of the year for the Wallabies, who beat Wales 29-21 in their opening match of a three-Test British tour before last Saturday’s record defeat to England.
Wallaby Team
15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Marika Koroibete, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Reece Hodge, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Blake Enever, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio.
Bench:16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Luknan Tui, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Karmichael Hunt, 23 Henry Speight.