Rugby-Wallabies flyhalf Foley set for first outing of the season

SYDNEY, March 22 (Reuters) - Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley will return to Super Rugby action for the New South Wales Waratahs this weekend after missing the start of the season because of concussion.

The 27-year-old was named in the number 10 shirt on Wednesday for Friday's match against the Melbourne Rebels, where the Waratahs will be looking to put their season back on track.

Foley will be expected to fire up a backline which has seriously underperformed as the 2014 champions have started their campaign with three defeats in four matches.

"We need to get our combinations clicking. Up until now we have been far too inconsistent and the mistakes have been on us to fix," said coach Daryl Gibson.

"We are pleased to have Bernard back, his absence has certainly been felt in those first four rounds."

Youngster Jake Gordon will be Foley's halfback partner in Melbourne after the 23-year-old was preferred to Wallaby Nick Phipps, who has had a disappointing start to the season.

Gibson has also brought an end to the experiment of playing Israel Folau in the centres, where he was largely anonymous in the loss to the ACT Brumbies last week, and restored the team's main attacking weapon to the fullback position.

Test back Rob Horne moves into the centres along with David Horwitz with talented young gun Andrew Kellaway moving from fullback to the left wing to make way for Folau. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ian Ransom)