Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is rolling the dice with a new captain and bare-bones back-up for two of his Rugby World Cup trump cards.

In one of the great selection bombshells, Deans dumped Rocky Elsom as captain for triumphant Queensland Reds skipper James Horwill when he unveiled Australia's 30-man squad for the global showpiece kicking off in New Zealand on September 9.

In other daring moves, Deans failed to include a specialist reserve for match-winning flanker David Pocock and only named one other genuine five-eighth as cover for mercurial playmaker Quade Cooper in contrast to his selection of three halfbacks and three hookers.

Elsom has captained Australia since 2009 but is now under increasing pressure to retain his place in the starting team ahead of in-form blindside flanker Scott Higginbotham.

Deans said Elsom took the news admirably, saying he accepted the demotion in the "best interests of the team".

"Rocky remains a very important member in the group and remains in the leadership group," he said.

Lock Horwill led the Reds to this year's Super Rugby title and has also been Australia's form forward in their past two Tri Nations Tests.

"He's got what's required and he showed that through his recent Super Rugby campaign," Deans said.

"He's got all the qualities we're looking for."

As expected, 92-Test back Matt Giteau was the highest-profile omission, with Deans and fellow selectors Jim Williams and David Nucifora instead opting for NSW playmaker Berrick Barnes as the only specialist five-eighth insurance for Cooper and going for Melbourne halfback Nick Phipps as a third No.9.

Bulldozing back-rower Wycliff Palu (shoulder/knee) heads a list of six wounded Wallabies stars named despite being grounded by injuries, with Palu out for most of the past two seasons.

Palu's inclusion alongside 35-year-old revelation Radike Samo and Ben McCalman gives Australia three No.8s, but came at the expense of Matt Hodgson as a back-up No.7 for Pocock.

Deans, though, said it was a gamble worth taking.

"That's a reflection of very much how the game's evolving, how the game's being played and being adjudicated," he said.

"Obviously we gave every possible permutation a lot of consideration and we believe that the players we've chosen will cater for our needs.

"It's obviously tough on Hodgo, among others."

Deans said McCalman would fill the No.7 role if Pocock went down.

Selectors also picked hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau (knee), prop James Slipper (ankle) and Drew Mitchell (ankle), with all three only likely to return to action next Friday for the Australian Barbarians against Canada on the Gold Coast.

Barnes (concussion) and Waratahs centre Rob Horne (elbow) were included after recently making comebacks in club rugby, having played little Super Rugby this season.

The seemingly ageless Samo is the feel-good story of the squad, named because of his versatility just 18 months after he thought he was washed up as a professional player following stints in France and Japan.

Samo sealed the deal with a 20-minute cameo off the bench in Australia's spirited Tri Nations win over South Africa last Saturday.

"He presented the jerseys to the boys on the weekend in Durban - possibly the first and only Classic Wallaby to present them and then to run out and play with them," Deans joked.

Samo's and Palu's inclusions, along with McCalman, put extra heat on Elsom's place in the back row.

But Deans, who only told Horwill of the leadership change on Monday before alerting the rest of the squad on Thursday morning, denied the writing was on the wall for Elsom, who has only returned from hamstring and ankle injuries in the past five weeks.

"With his recent challenges with his injuries, he's only just getting back to form, (and) it just frees him up to really focus on his rugby," Deans said.

"He made great progress last week and, as he gets back to full fitness, we expect big things from him."

Along with Horwill and Elsom, Pocock and halfback Will Genia remain in the Wallabies leadership group.

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