Baxter, Palu ruled out

Waratahs forwards Al Baxter and Wycliff Palu have been ruled out of Saturday’s round six match against the Western Force in Perth due to injury.

Head coach Chris Hickey said the decision was made to give the Test stars more time to recover.

"If it was a semi-final you’d seriously consider putting both players on the park, but at this stage of the season the risk is just too great," Hickey said.

"There's a good chance they could worsen their injuries by playing and given we have good depth in the pack it’s the right decision to make.

"By staying in Sydney they can get on to their rehab and we’ll see where they're at when we come back on Monday."

Wallaby prop Sekope Kepu comes into the starting line-up for the first time this year, with Dan Palmer moving onto the bench.

Ben Mowen will now start at No.8, with Locky McCaffrey celebrating his new Super 14 contract by being elevated to the match day 22 for the second time this year.

"Keps and Benny Mowen have a lot of experience starting in these important games and will have no problem slotting into the side," Hickey said.

"Dan Palmer and Locky McCaffrey have been sticking up their hand for selection every week and they were both fairly impressive for the Junior Waratahs last weekend.

"It's a great sign of the depth within the squad that if we lose players like Al and Cliffy we can replace them with quality players."