As always, one of the most contentious decisions will be who wears the coveted No.10 jersey.
Bernard Foley is the incumbent after a series of impressive wins last season, including a high-pressure kick to steal a win over the Boks in Perth.
In a good old NSW-QLD stoush, Quade Cooper of the Reds is in contention to take back the jersey he wore during Australia’s 2011 Tri-Nations win.
Both fly-halves shot to international prominence off the back of Super Rugby victories – Cooper in 2011 and Foley in 2014.
The Reds have gone off the boil since their win, but maintain a strong presence in the Wallabies squad.
The Waratahs are also well represented, having gone one game short of making a consecutive Super Rugby final.
But who will Cheika choose to lead the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship and onwards to the World Cup?
Let the stats decide.
Foley played 17 games, scoring five tries and making 188 carries for an average gain of 4.2 metres.
He beat 31 defenders and is strong in the tackle, getting 20 offloads away, but conceded 27 turnovers.
Foley kicked 33 conversions from 51 attempts through the season but his shortcomings kicking in general play were exposed by the Highlanders in the Tahs’ semi-final loss.
Defensively Foley made 66 tackles and missed 25 for a success rate of 72.5%.
Injury restricted Quade Cooper to just a handful games in 2015 but rumour has it he’s the front runner to partner Will Genia in the halves on Saturday.
Cooper scored an impressive three tries in his minimal game time, made five clean breaks and eight offloads.
Defence has always been an issue for Cooper, but he only missed three tackles this season and made 28 for a 90.3% success rate.
Cheika’s decision between Foley and Cooper will be influenced by who he selects at halfback, with Super Rugby partnerships an obvious factor.
Who would you have lining up at 9 and 10 this weekend?
