Australian team to play Cardiff Blues – Matt Toomua to start

Australia Under-20 and Brumbies flyhalf Matt Toomua will make his senior debut for his country after being named today in the Qantas Wallabies side to tackle the Cardiff Blues tomorrow night.

The selection of Toomua, 19, is one of three personnel changes to the starting line-up from the Australian side which won its opening midweek match of the tour at Gloucester.

The others see Pekahou Cowan included to start at loosehead prop, in the place of Salesi Ma’afu, after coming off the bench as a hooker against Gloucester.

Ma’afu is relegated to the bench, after featuring on the tighthead side of the scrum at Gloucester, with Sekope Kepu switching from loosehead to tighthead to accommodate the inclusion of Cowan.

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Old Scouts prepared to do their best: RFU Podcast

Former Northampton Old Scouts Steve Thompson and Courtney Lawes

Former Northampton Old Scouts Steve Thompson and Courtney Lawes

Steve Thompson and Courtney Lawes will be on parade at Twickenham on Saturday as a testament to Northampton Old Scouts.

Lawes follows Thompson and Ben Cohen as the latest to come out of the Scouts club founded in 1926 around a camp fire at Castle Ashby.

Thompson said: “A couple of the guys down at Old Scouts have said congratulations and ‘look after him’. With someone like Courtney it’s so exciting – he is so athletic and he’s only 20 – so I’m really looking forward to it.”

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