Rugby Championship
McCalman cut from Wallabies bench
August 14, 2014
Australia's Ben McCalman takes on France's Frederic Michalak, Australia v France, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, June 7, 2014
Ben McCalman will have to wait for his next opportunity with the Wallabies © Getty Images
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Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has finalised his bench for Saturday's Rugby Championship opener, with Western Force loose forward Ben McCalman omitted for the clash with the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium.

McKenzie has opted for a traditional 5-3 split on the bench, with hooker James Hanson, props Ben Alexander and Pek Cowan, lock Will Skelton and back-rower Scott Higginbotham covering the forwards. The three backline replacements are scrum-half Nick Phipps, fly-half Bernard Foley and outside back Tevita Kuridrani.

Greg Growden and Russell Barwick preview the first two matches of the 2014 Rugby Championship

The all-conquering All Blacks arrive in Sydney on Thursday night to finalise their preparations for the Bledisloe Cup blockbuster. Unbeaten in 2013, the All Blacks are shooting for a world-record 18th straight Test win.

But the Wallabies are quietly confident of ending the world champions' remarkable streak after chalking up seven consecutive wins of their own.

© AAP

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