Australia captain Michael Hooper said Friday he expects to see "special things" from 19-year-old debutant Jordan Petaia.
Following a string of serious injuries that delayed his debut, the teenage talent will become the youngest Wallaby to play at a World Cup on Saturday against Pool D opponents Uruguay at Oita Stadium.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has named Petaia on the left wing in a starting XV featuring 12 changes from the side who started the 29-25 loss to Wales five days ago.
"Jordy has had a tough run, he could have debuted a long time ago, which is saying a lot about the ability the kid has, and the belief the team has in him," Hooper said.
((From L) Jordan Petaia, Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua of Australia)
[Getty/Kyodo]
"He will do special things. He's obviously right at the start of his journey. Everyone can't wait to see what he puts out there tomorrow."
Cheika has reinstated the halves combination of No. 9 Nicholas White alongside flyhalf Christian Lealiifano after starting Will Genia and Bernard Foley against Wales.
The Wallabies will also start most of their players who have yet to see field time during the tournament, including No. 8 Jack Dempsey, lock Rob Simmons and hooker Folau Fainga'a.
Hooper said that while he still felt disappointed by the world No. 6 Wallabies' narrow loss to Wales on Sunday, he had completely shifted focus to the clash with Uruguay.
"Yeah, I am frustrated. I still thought about a lot of those moments through the week but now we are 24 hours away from playing this next one I have moved on, totally," he said.
The Wallabies will wear a special strip with a design inspired by Indigenous Australian artwork, which was created to recognize the contribution players of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage have made to rugby in the country.
(Michael Hooper of Australia bursts through a tackle.)
It will be the first time since 1995 that the Wallabies have played at a World Cup in a strip other than their gold jersey.
Fullback Kurtley Beale, a "proud Indigenous Australian," said he was "very excited to be wearing the Wallabies indigenous playing strip," which is officially the team's away uniform.
"It is a true representation and acknowledgement of the First Nations people," Beale said. "It's definitely a symbol that we are all behind. It is galvanizing us, bringing us together."
While 18th-ranked Uruguay will be playing mostly for pride, Hooper said the South Americans had shown they were a physically powerful team in their upset win over Fiji on Sept. 25.
"They were very, very strong. We played the Fijian team already and we know how physical they are," Hooper said.
Uruguay coach Esteban Meneses has made nine changes to the XV who started Sunday's 33-7 loss to Georgia, with captain for the day Andres Vilaseca to continue his run of starting every game of the tournament at inside center. Hooker German Kessler and flyhalf Felipe Berchesi also retain their starting places.
Though his side is not expected to trouble Australia, Meneses said the game would be another important opportunity for his players to showcase their talents with the world watching.
"We came to the World Cup to show the quality of players we have. The next two games, it is a competition period for us to keep moving forward, preparing the players physically and technically," Meneses said.
"I want them to attack, attack, attack. If we do the things we are supposed to do, I will be happy."
Related coverage:
Rugby: Wales hold on to beat Australia in thriller
Rugby: Australia coach Cheika rips into officials
