TNT Sports
Latham doubtful
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Published 08/08/2005 at 07:38 GMT+1
Australia fullback Chris Latham is a doubtful for Saturday's Tri-nations match against New Zealand after he missed training with a hamstring injury. Larkham sat out Monday's training session at the and is not expected to train until Wednesday, the day Australia announce their side for the clash.
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Australia will have to make at least two changes to their backline from the side that started the opening Tri-nations match against South Africa on July 30, with Wendell Sailor out with a knee injury and Stephen Larkham requiring shoulder surgery.
Queensland's Drew Mitchell, who was on the bench for the first match in Pretoria, could play fullback or on the wing, where he is competing with Mark Gerrard for Sailor's position.
"He (Mitchell) is the frontrunner," Wallabies coach Eddie Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"He has had a couple of great games with Australia A, while he's done really well off the bench for us and at this stage deserves an opportunity."
Utility back Matt Giteau is expected to slot into flyhalf for Larkham with Jones not prepared to give Elton Flatley a run at Giteau's inside centre position after a period of inactivity.
"Those guys have played a maximum of one game in the last few months," Jones added in referring to the returning trio of Flatley, hooker Brendan Cannon and winger Clyde Rathbone.
"So starting a game may be a little too hard for them at this stage, especially as the guys say the Bledisloe Cup is the fastest game you play all year.
"That might be going one step too far at this stage."
New Zealand lost 22-16 to the Springboks on Saturday in Cape Town, the same score that Australia lost to South Africa a week earlier in the opening Tri-nations fixture.
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