Australia v Italy, Melbourne
O'Connor cleared to face Azzurri
Scrum.com
June 19, 2009

Robbie Deans' Wallabies have received a boost ahead of their second Test against Italy in Melbourne on Saturday, with teenage fullback James O'Connor cleared to play after recovering from a bout of stomach cramps.

O'Connor scored a hat-trick of tries in only his second Test against the Azzurri last weekend, powering the Wallabies to a 31-8 win, and will again take the No.15 jersey after playing a full part in training.

Winger Drew Mitchell has been released to play Sydney club rugby as a result of O'Connor's recovery, with Peter Hynes and Lachie Turner manning the wings. Hynes returns to international action for the first time this season, meaning that Lote Tuqiri remains the only member of the back-three fraternity to have not won a cap this season.

"You give someone else a chance and the boys on the wings have gone at it and played very well," Hynes told AAP. "This is my opportunity to go out there and show what I can do."

Hynes has been handed a chance by Deans despite an injury-blighted Super 14 campaign for the Reds with a persistent knee problem requiring surgery mid-way through the season. Hynes believes he returned too quickly from surgery and suffered a troubling reoccurrence of the injury during a 51-13 thrashing by the Reds' Australian rivals the Brumbies.

"It was pretty frustrating and when I did it certainly didn't feel very good and I had to run around for the rest of the game because we didn't have any subs left," he said. "I was getting around on the skateboard, on one leg, it wasn't moving very well. I did think after I swelled up that I would have to go in for an (operation) again."

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