Wallabies

Pocock has not played a game since March after injuring his calf during the Super Rugby season, and after touring with the Wallabies all winter but working on his own, the world-class flanker has been back training with the main squad this week in Perth.

All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster expects him to play.

"You always prepare for that sort of scenario. But we have played against those two (Pocock and Michael Hooper) when they play together, a number of times."

But the Wallabies’ pack must apply consistency back up their performance against the All Blacks in Perth next week, or risk losing the positive impact on their reputation as scrummagers.

After sitting out the Johannesburg Test with injury, Sio’s return in Brisbane to a front row also containing Folau Faingaa and Sekope Kepu helped the Wallabies scrum turn in a dominant show over the Pumas.

Encouragingly for coach Michael Cheika, the dominance continued when the bench front rowers were rolled out in the second half; James Slipper, Taniela Tupou and Tolu Latu.

Despite not having played for six months with a calf injury, Pocock has been travelling with the Wallabies since they went into camp in June.

There have been no fixed dates about when - or if - the champion flanker will return during the Rugby Championship, but unlike other weeks in the competition, Pocock was named in the Wallabies’ squad ahead of the Bledisloe Cup clashes in Perth and Auckland.

Reports that Pocock ran at full speed two weeks ago led to speculation the backrower could play club rugby, and then make a return for the Wallabies against the All Blacks.

After making his return from a foot injury for Wests in Queensland Premier Rugby almost a fortnight ago, the teen speedster was loaned to QPR rivals Sunnybank for the final round of fixtures to allow him valuable game time as he continues to recover from a foot injury that cruelled his Super Rugby season.

After a 20-minute cameo in his return, Petaia played half a game for the Dragons in their 41-29 win over Bond University on Saturday.

And while he had few chances in open space, Sunnybank coach Evan Willis said there were signs Petaia was returning to his best.

Lealiifano, 31, is set for his first Australia appearance since June 2016, having returned to form with the Brumbies after a battle with leukaemia.

While Lealiifano was named to start at fly-half for the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship clash in Brisbane on Saturday, O'Connor is among the reserves.

O'Connor has played 44 Tests for the Wallabies, but the last of those was in September 2013, also against Argentina.

The Wallabies centre admitted he had Queensland coach Brad Thorn to thank for forcing him to make the move inside to No.12 in the off-season last year.

It was a shuffle that became the catalyst for career-best performances for the Reds and a spot at the top of the Test selectors' lists in a World Cup year.

Kerevi was a regular at inside centre for Australia under Michael Cheika but had not set the world on fire in a losing Test side. When Thorn suggested he make the switch at Super Rugby level before the start of last season he was set against it.

O'Connor flew into Brisbane with the Wallabies on Monday night and could be named in the test side to play the Pumas at Suncorp Stadium, capping a fairytale return for a player almost universally maligned when he played his last test in 2013.

Speaking at an event looking ahead to the tournament, McCaw, a two-time World Cup-winner, said he expects Michael Cheika's team to come good at the tournament, despite having won just four of their 13 games last year.

"Knowing Australians like I do, they are competitive, hugely competitive and they will get themselves in good situation to compete," McCaw, who led the All Blacks to victory over the Wallabies in the 2015 final, told Reuters.

"They have got ability to win games now against everyone so you don't want to write them off at all.

The team will reportedly pocket $25,000 each should they win a semi-final and qualify for the World Cup final and stand to gain $100,000 each if they manage to win the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since 1999.

Under the current collective bargaining agreement, Wallabies players receive a $10,000 match payment if they are nationally contracted while non-Rugby AU contracted players take $12,000 a match.

When announcing the Wallabies squad last week, coach Michael Cheika was quick to stress that Lealiifano’s selection was entirely based on his form for the Brumbies this year - music to the playmaker’s ears.

“It'd (a Test comeback) be right up there. It's something I never thought would happen again,” he said.

“Obviously, to even play footy, but to be back in the squad is something I'm really proud of and grateful as well, that they haven't picked me just because I'm back and healthy again, they've picked me, Cheik said, on form and the way I've been playing.