Israel Folau set for centre shift after Kerevi injury

The deployment of fullback Israel Folau into the midfield has now become almost a necessity after Samu Kerevi’s injury.

Israel Folau is almost certain to find himself in the centres during the European tour.

The deployment of fullback Israel Folau into the Australian midfield, an idea Michael Cheika has long tinkered with, has now become almost a necessity after outside centre Samu Kerevi was ruled out of the spring tour with injury.

Kerevi, who has been in brilliant form of late, had scans on the foot injury he sustained in the Eden Park Test against the All Blacks on Saturday and was found to have ankle syndesmosis which will keep him sidelined for at least six weeks.

With the first of five Tests set for Millennium Stadium against Wales on November 5, it would be pointless taking him on the tour.

The only silver lining is that it now opens the door on a positional move that many critics have been crying out for since Folau struck a minor form slump last year which has caused him to score only two tries in 15 Tests — switching him from fullback to one of the positions in the midfield.

He was used this season by Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson as an outside centre but against the All Blacks on Saturday night he alternated between inside centre and fullback in attack and defence.

So it may be that after playing 43 Tests in succession with a 15 on his back — his first five Tests were on the wing — that the newly engaged Folau will find himself wearing 12 or 13 at some stage on the spring tour.

That might necessitate a positional switch for Reece Hodge, who performed impressively at inside centre on Saturday, although he was caught out with a few his defensive reads on occasion and had a kick charged down for a try.

Given that No 13 is always regarded as the trickiest position on the field to defend, that might not be advisable in the short term. He is, after all, still in his first season of professional football.

One player who will applaud Folau’s selection in the centres is right winger Dane Haylett-Petty. He was the form Australian fullback in Super Rugby for the Western Force this season but he has had to play all 10 Tests in his debut international season on the wing because Folau has commanded the No 15 jersey.

The Wallabies side for the spring tour was expected to be released yesterday but was delayed, with the expected 35 players to be named today. One of the newcomers is almost certain to be 24-year-old former Melbourne Storm NRL winger Marika Koroibete, who is returning to the game he last played as a schoolboy in Fiji.

The strong rumour in rugby league circles is that Koroibete had it written into his contract that he would be taken on the spring tour but that was denied yesterday by rugby authorities.

Indeed, their original plan was to ease Koroibete back into rugby as a member of Robbie Deans’ Barbarians side to play South Africa at Wembley next month. But when that proved too difficult, it is understood he was then considered for the Wallabies.

No other rugby league convert has ever come directly into the Wallabies. Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers all served time in Super Rugby before graduating to the national team but this season has shown that one of the key ingredients missing from the Wallabies is tryscoring speed out wide. Koroibete certainly has that, in abundant quantities.

It is also understood Cheika will make room in the touring party for three developmental players — Queensland Reds prop Taniela Tupou, the so-called Tongan Thor, and outside back Izaia Perese, and Waratahs backrower Jack Dempsey.

Tupou, who only made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds against the Brumbies in Canberra in July, does not even qualify to play for Australia until next year. He has been a human wrecking ball in Brisbane club rugby for Brothers while just 20 and he clearly has a huge Test future ahead of him. Perese has not even played yet for Queensland, although he was one of the stars of the NRC playing for Queensland Country and he too has been identified as a future long-term Wallaby.

Dempsey, the nephew of former Wallaby and Rugby Union Players Association boss Tony Dempsey, initially attracted attention solely because of his pugilistic name. But after making his Super Rugby debut against the Sharks in Sydney last year, he has proven himself a dynamic backrower in his nine subsequent matches for the Tahs.