WALLABIES coach Ewen McKenzie has strongly suggested he will make changes to the team for the Test against the Springboks in Brisbane on Saturday week after the team lost the Bledisloe Cup series for the 11th consecutive year.
McKenzie remained faithful to the players who lost 47-29 to the All Blacks in the opening Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney two weeks ago, but that faith has been tested by their 27-16 loss to the Kiwis in Wellington on Saturday night.
Asked whether he would make changes, McKenzie said: "It is a different team. There will be different strategies. The base game doesn't change. We will have a different focus. We'll go back and have a look at the team again for sure.
"I have to have a look at what the contribution was and whether guys are improving and understanding where they fit into the team and what we need to do against the Springboks.
"It is a different game completely, so we'll have a good look at that."
Fullback Jesse Mogg's neck is on the chopping block for the Springboks Test after another performance marred by errors, including not finding touch with clearing kicks.
Dropping Mogg would enable McKenzie to start one of the wingers Israel Folau or James O'Connor at fullback.
Folau and O'Connor have been the Wallabies' most dangerous attacking threats this year, but they have not been as involved as much as the Wallabies would like on the wing, particularly Folau, who scored the team's only try on Saturday night from an intercept.
"We'll look at everything," McKenzie said. "Last week James O'Connor was criticised (for his defence). This week I thought he did pretty well. . . . He didn't run as many metres.
"Folau topped the metreage. Obviously, the intercept makes a big difference. He was good off kick-offs. Got some balls back for us. We'll have a look and see what we need to do."
After coming off the bench for the first two Tests, mercurial five-eighth Quade Cooper is likely to start against the Springboks on his home ground at Suncorp Stadium.
McKenzie may have been protecting Cooper by bringing him off the bench against the All Blacks, who would have targeted him if he had started. Still public enemy No 1 in New Zealand, Cooper was booed every time he touched the ball, but he will be more comfortable in Brisbane.
"As good as anyone else's at this point," McKenzie said of Cooper's chances of starting. "I haven't thought about it."
McKenzie said rookie five-eighth Matt Toomua played more the way he wanted him to in Wellington than he had in Sydney. "The balance in his game was much better," McKenzie said. "He ran the ball. He took the line on. He kicked well. And he obviously passed."
McKenzie said the reserves bench was ineffectual, and indicated there could be changes. "I talk about finishers. You want guys to come on and improve the performance.
"It is no good if they come on and are knocking on and missing tackles and that's effectively what happened.
"Twenty-five per cent of our missed tackles came from the bench. That was disappointing. They are only on for the last 15 to 20 minutes. I expect more."
Reserve prop Sekope Kepu would have a scan on an injured hamstring, but loose-head prop James Slipper had recovered from the head knock he received while attempting to tackle All Blacks inside centre Ma'a Nonu.
While the Wallabies improved on their Sydney match, it was still too little to master the All Blacks, who outscored them two tries to one, with winger Ben Smith collecting a double after his hat-trick in Sydney.
The Wallabies achieved a better balance between running and kicking, but they made too many unforced errors and defensive lapses, particularly one on one.
