Wallabies coach Eddie Jones backs Tom Hooper to rise in Bledisloe's battle of the breakdown

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has taken a gamble on the 21-year-old Brumby by drafting him into the openside flanker role for the Bledisloe Cup opener at the MCG on Saturday night.

Jones has turned to generation next in search of a fast start against the in-form All Blacks, naming Carter Gordon and Tate McDermott as his starting halves with Quade Cooper and Nic White to come off the bench.

But it was Hooper's selection turning the most heads. With Michael Hooper unavailable due to injury, Fraser McReight loomed as the most likely to wear the No.7 jersey until Tom Hooper - who played a Super Rugby semi-final against the Chiefs in the role - swooped.

"The best game I saw from an Australian seven was Tom against the Chiefs," Jones said.

MORE SPORT:

"The Chiefs are obviously a very good team in Super Rugby, and the way he competed hard at the breakdown against those guys was first class. He can do a job for us on Saturday as well.

"We just feel it's a battle of the breakdown. We didn't get enough pressure on the Argentinian ruck, and we feel that Tom can do that job for us."

Hooper will have his hands full against a dominant All Blacks pack led by Ardie Savea, but Allan Alaalatoa - who will captain the Wallabies with James Slipper starting on the bench - has backed his young Brumbies teammate to shine.

"He's got a big engine, he's always willing to learn, he is always out there doing his extras, he's always in the coach's pocket asking questions," Alaalatoa said. "He's always trying to get better and that's the perfect attribute to have as a young man who strives to be the best."

Jones has made seven changes to his Wallabies side as they look to atone for consecutive losses to start their Rugby Championship campaign against the unbeaten All Blacks.

Gordon will partner McDermott in a new halves pairing while Andrew Kellaway will start at fullback and Jordan Petaia will play at outside centre.

Jones is convinced Gordon can rise to the occasion on Saturday night, suggesting the 22-year-old can glide across the park like Stephen Larkham and defend like South African great Butch James.

"You've got to get out of the gates against New Zealand, so we've picked a young team. I don't think I've ever picked a younger Test team," Jones said.

"It's a very young team, 290 caps, the All Blacks I'd say would have close to 1000. We've got a young team out there, ready to take them on, not much past history, just ready to play.

"We've got a very experienced bench, guys like Slipper and Nic and Quade. It'll be a different role for them, it'll be an interesting finish to the game."

Wallabies players are already dreaming of what the atmosphere will be like in front of a crowd figure set to eclipse the mark of 79,322 for a Bledisloe Cup game in 2007.

"We're just slowly dialling up that excitement. We got to walk around the MCG yesterday and have a look at the stadium and picture what it will look like with 85,000 people, that's going to be amazing," Alaalatoa said.

"The boys are throwing out numbers of the tickets sold already, and that brings excitement, understanding it's our last home game in front of our fans, wanting to put on a performance for them. That's what excites us, to be able to pull on the gold jersey in front of thousands."

But most among the MCG stands aren't expecting the Wallabies to win.

"There's nothing better than winning against New Zealand because you feel the country sinking, right? It's not just rugby sinks, the country sinks, the economy goes down," Jones grinned.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.