Israel Folau is being considered as a Wallabies outside centre

IT is not his preferred position but Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is considering switching star fullback Israel Folau to outside centre for the Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney on August 18.

Israel Folau of the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

IT is not his preferred position but Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is considering switching star fullback Israel Folau to outside centre for the Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney on August 18.

Injuries to first choice No 13’s Samu Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani have forced Cheika to reassess his options with Reece Hodge (Rebels) and Curtis Rona (Waratahs) the other likely options.

Folau has played 16 Super Rugby games at outside centre but has never started a Test in the No 13 jersey.

But it is a tempting option given that Dane Haylett-Petty is also an accomplished fullback and Cheika has plenty of quality wingers to choose from.

“It’s no secret that I’ve preferred (Folau) at 15,” Cheika told reporters after announcing plans for a trial game in Sydney on August 3.

“But he’s played there and we’ll just take a look and see the guys who have played on the wing, we’ll see where they’re at.

“We need to create a bit of depth there, too, you could get another injury.

“You just don’t know.

“You need to create a few different options there going forward.”

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Wallabies coach Michael Cheika during a training session in Sydney.

Hodge offers the Wallabies utility value from the bench and the luxury of Cheika to name six forwards as impact players.

He has been playing No 10 for the Rebels this season but has plenty of experience in midfield.

Rona, meanwhile, has played three Tests on the wing.

“Curtis has probably been the main guy playing in his club team,” Cheika said.

“Then you’ve got Hodge who has played a little bit of 13, I’ve seen his named bandied around a little bit.

“We’ve been sort of focusing (Hodge) more in the playmaking roles, so it’d mean a pretty big change in what he’s been at.”

Kerevi and Kuridrani are likely to be sidelined for the majority of the Rugby Championship — if not all of it.

The trial game at Leichardt Oval won’t feature Folau, Rona or Kurtley Beale with the Waratahs playing a Super Rugby semifinal in Johannesburg on Saturday.

So the number on the back of Hodge’s jersey will be of real interest.

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Wallabies player Reece Hodge poses at The Irish Times Pub in Melbourne.

“Hodgy can play a bit of footy there (five-eighth)” Cheika said.

“Then we can mix and match.

“I have Hamish Stewart in the camp here — he’s a good young player.

“Having some experience in this type of match will be good for him as well and between the two of them, we can mix and match and see what we need.”

Cheika also explained the rationale behind the new trial game as he hopes to snap a painful 16 year Bledisloe drought against the All Blacks.

Previously the Wallabies have made do with in house training hitouts and they were smoked in the first half of last year’s opening Bledisloe in Sydney.

“I think we need some footy,” Cheika said.

“You can train and that’s great, but the dressing room, the buildup, the anxiety — it doesn’t matter where you’re playing, there’s always that little bit of nerves.

“The referee, all of those things.

“We thought about it last year for a bit but we decided against it.

“You can’t be sure that that’s the reason why (the Wallabies struggled) but if it is, then we’ll try and take it out of the equation by having some footy.”

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The Wallabies played plenty of good rugby in the June home series against Ireland but ultimately came up short in the 2-1 series loss against the world’s No 2 side.

Cheika was devastated by that defeat but maintained there was reason for optimism against the world champion All Blacks.

“We need to develop a bit more of a clinical attitude around finishing,” Cheika said.

“I thought we did a lot of really good things in that series — that’s what may have made it ever tougher to take.

“But the pain of that failure can only spur us on.

“I believe that the squad we’ve built is getting more and more mature, they’re getting more experience under their belts.

“They’re still very young.

“That forward pack, that squad of forwards in the Irish series, there was only three players over 26 years of age.

“It’s a young team, the leaders are starting to step up into that space and take them forward.

“Yes, it’s going to be a challenge, but that’s what it is.

“I can see they’re all up for it already.

“We’ve got to be tight on the reins to make sure that we don’t get too pumped up too early.”

Originally published as Israel Folau is being considered as a Wallabies outside centre