RYAN CROSS will revert to a no-frills, vegemite roll diet on match day to ensure he starts against Wales at Millennium Stadium on Saturday following the anguish of being a late withdrawal against France last week.
Cross was down to play at outside-centre in Paris until he suddenly became sick with a stomach bug five hours before kick-off and was confined to his room, where he watched the Test on television.
While the Wallabies had to frantically rejig their back line just before kick-off, Cross, who had never pulled out of a game in 10 years of professional football, was violently ill for several hours with what is assumed to have been food poisoning.
With coach Robbie Deans recalling him for the Wales Test on Saturday, the midfielder will ensure that on game day he takes no chances with anything that passes his lips. Cross said he would probably restrict himself to the famous Australian yeast extract spread on a roll.
Cross is one of five changes to the team that defeated France, with the most crucial involving the return of Waratahs captain Phil Waugh to the back row. Richard Brown regains the No.8 spot, with Wycliff Palu nursing a slight shoulder problem, while Hugh McMeniman moves to the back row after Mark Chisholm's return. Benn Robinson is back at loose-head for Ben Alexander, and Adam Ashley-Cooper's hip injury sees him bracketed on the bench with Lote Tuqiri.
Cross said that after feeling queasy at lunchtime last Saturday, he "had a lie down and couldn't sleep".
"The doctor gave me different things to try to settle me down, but there was no chance of playing. I made the right decision."
At least Cross had company, as his father, Paul, who had travelled to London and Paris to see him play, opted against attending the match and instead watched the game on TV with his son.
"It was very frustrating watching it because I had done all of the preparation and worked hard during the week," Cross said. "I thought I was also going to build a bit because I had that game against England under my belt. It was a scrappy game, so I don't really know how much difference I would have made to it."
Now it is catch-up time, with Cross wanting to use the Wales Test to reinforce his claim to be the long-term No.13.
"You do want to leave a memory with Robbie, and you want it to be a good one," he said. "Even though we have the Barbarians game next week, this is obviously the last Test of the tour."
The front-rowers, meanwhile, want to redeem themselves after again an up-and-down display against France, which included the indignity of conceding a penalty try when their scrum disintegrated just before half-time.
The Wallabies thought they had finally proved they possessed a pack of substance after excelling against England at Twickenham, but questions were again raised at the Stade de France.
Hooker Stephen Moore, a tour standout, explained that they got into trouble when French tight-head prop Nicolas Mas bored in across the front-row, and "we didn't step into it enough".
"Once we didn't step into it, they went through," Moore said. "That was disappointing. We pride ourselves in the front row on things like that, and before we went away, pushed the point that we wanted to be consistent. I think we have for the major part, but we have to put that behind us. The Welsh will also see that as an opportunity. We're aware of that, so we will prepare accordingly."
Wales have been allowed to select halfback Gareth Cooper, after he was originally barred by club side Gloucester from playing because the Test falls outside the IRB November window.
WALLABIES
Drew Mitchell; Peter Hynes, Ryan Cross, Stirling Mortlock (capt), Digby Ioane; Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess; Richard Brown, Phil Waugh, Hugh McMeniman, Nathan Sharpe, Mark Chisholm,
Al Baxter, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson. Reserves: Adam Freier, Matt Dunning, Dean Mumm, George Smith, Sam Cordingley, Quade Cooper, Lote Tuqiri/Adam Ashley-Cooper.
