THREE of the biggest cult heroes in Australian rugby today look likely to be at Dubbo next month after being named in coach Ewen McKenzie's squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
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Multi-code star Israel Folau, 140-kilogram wrecking ball Will Skelton and Fijian-born winger Henry Speight were yesterday among the 32 players named for the Wallabies squad, which will start its campaign towards hopefully regaining the Bledisloe Cup with a tour of the central west.
The Bush2Bledisloe tour will start at Dubbo, with the squad arriving on Sunday, August 3 and a number of events, including an open training session, set down for the following day.
The squad will also visit Orange and Bathurst before finishing their camp in Penrith later that week.
Notable omissions from the squad were winger Nick Cummins and injured halves Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
Cummins missed out after recently signing a lucrative contract to play in Japan while McKenzie is hopeful of having Genia and Cooper available in the latter stages of the Rugby Championship competition
Speight's worth to Australian rugby has been highlighted by his immediate inclusion in the squad despite being unavailable for the opening half Australia's campaign, including the first two Bledisloe Cup matches.
The in-form Brumbies flyer won't be eligible to play for the Wallabies until September 11, which will end a frustrating 12-month wait to play Test rugby.
McKenzie said Speight's speed and tackle-busting ability was a timely compensator for the loss of cult hero Cummins, who featured in all three Tests against France in June.
"You don't like to lose any players but that happens and circumstances are very different," McKenzie said.
"We're also confident there's players arriving too and this is probably as good an example as you get - obviously a crowd favourite in Nick Cummins departing but also a really interesting guy coming through as well in Henry Speight.
"We think he's been in good form and obviously he's going to become eligible."
There were no major surprises in McKenzie's squad, which will be captained by Michael Hooper and includes 25 players who tasted action in the 3-0 series clean sweep of France.
The Wallabies assemble on August 3 for a week-long Bush2Bledisloe regional road trip across Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and Penrith.
