Rugby-Australia halfbacks Beale, White benched for South Africa

Reuters

MELBOURNE, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Australia coach Ewen McKenzie has run out of patience with misfiring halfbacks Kurtley Beale and Nic White, dumping them to the bench for the Rugby Championship match against South Africa in Perth on Saturday. The pair started in Australia's 12-12 draw against New Zealand and the humbling 51-20 return loss at Eden Park last month but have been replaced by flyhalf Bernard Foley and his New South Wales Waratahs team mate Nick Phipps. After being omitted for the first two tests, former captain and lock James Horwill returns to the bench, replacing the hulking Will Skelton as the Wallabies chase their first win of the four-nation southern hemisphere championship. The injured Nathan Charles has been replaced by James Hanson as starting hooker, with Pat McCabe's career-ending neck injury shifting Adam Ashley-Cooper to the wing and promoting Tevita Kuridrani to outside centre. Australia: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13-Tevita Kuridrani, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Rob Horne, 10-Bernard Foley, 9-Nick Phipps, 8-Wycliff Palu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Scott Fardy, 5-Rob Simmons, 4-Sam Carter, 3-Sekope Kepu, 2-James Hanson, 1-James Slipper Replacements: 16-Saia Faingaa, 17-Pek Cowan, 18-Ben Alexander, 19-James Horwill, 20-Scott Higginbotham, 21-Matt Hodgson, 22-Nic White, 23-Kurtley Beale (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)