Shepherd gets Australia call

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Gerrard saw his World Cup campaign come to a premature end when he suffered a serious knee injury in the 91-3 mauling of Japan last Saturday.

And the 23-year-old Shepherd has now been drafted into the squad after missing out on the original touring party because of his own knee problems.

"It's been a pretty crazy few months missing out on the squad and now being in, so I'm a little bit nervous but really excited about the opportunity," said Shepherd before boarding the plane to join his team-mates in Cardiff.

"To miss out was really upsetting and something that took a while to get over but it's just a great feeling now that I can get over there and be part of it."

The Western Force star is confident his knee can withstand the demands of tournament rugby.

"I think I'm pretty close to 100% now; it still pulls up a little sore after games but it's nothing I can't deal with and I'm training fully and I feel fit and I feel healthy so I'm ready to go," he added.