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SYDNEY - Wallabies coach John Connolly had no hesitation handing Sam Norton-Knight his Test debut tonight despite his selection giving Wales a massive advantage in experience in Australia's season-opening international at Telstra Stadium.
Even before Stephen Larkham's withdrawal with a strained hamstring tendon, Wales boasted a total of 445 Test caps in their starting side to Australia's 418.
Without 95-Test Larkham, the Welsh - featuring six British Lions in their touring party - far and away outnumbered the Wallabies for experience.
Alarmingly, Australia's nine-10-12 axis of halfback Matt Giteau, five-eighth Norton-Knight and debutant inside centre Adam Ashley-Cooper had played just four Tests between them in their respective positions.
Throw in rookie fullback Julian Huxley and between him, Norton-Knight and Ashley-Cooper, the trio had totalled just two minutes of Test rugby.
When Larkham was scratched on Friday, the safest option would have been to promote George Gregan - the world's most-capped player - from the bench to halfback and move Giteau back to his preferred centre role.
Such a ploy would have allowed Norton-Knight to ease into the Test arena with all the class and experience of Gregan and Giteau either side of him.
Connolly, though, said he and fellow selectors Scott Johnson and Michael O'Connor never gave thought to such an idea and didn't consider the choice of such a greenhorn backline - which was also missing Test regulars Chris Latham and Lote Tuqiri - a gamble.
He said either way Norton-Knight was going to start against Wales in the second Test in Brisbane next Saturday night or against Fiji the following week in Perth, with Larkham rested.
Likewise, Ashley-Cooper had to be blooded in the inside centre role sometime as the Wallabies continue their search for a midfield alternative to Giteau ahead of the September-October World Cup in France.
"We had to Norton-Knight game time. It's just been moved forward a week," Connolly said.
"As I've said before, we're comfortable with the forwards but we've got to evolve this team and this backline so that if Stephen Larkham does get injured then we have got Sam Norton-Knight or Berrick Barnes or someone equally as good coming in in every position.
"Inside centre is another position that we've really got to understand.
"We understand that the transition for Adam is smoother with Bernie (Larkham) there. There's no doubt he's got to adjust to play at 12.
"But Adam's form in the Super 14 has been good. He's a bit like Huxley, who has played at 15 and played well. He's done everything asked of him.
"Everyone has to play their first Test sometime, I guess, and that's what we have to build in Australia - a very strong squad for the future so that we can cover these things as injuries happen."
- AAP
