They haven’t played in the same backline since 2011, but Elton Flatley believes the Wallabies can roll back the years and start James O’Connor and Quade Cooper together.

It was only a week ago Dave Rennie was wondering whether his decision to bring back Cooper from the international wilderness would come off.

Now his inspired selection has left him with a headache on how to squeeze O’Connor into his side, while also considering how best to use burgeoning talent Noah Lolesio going forward.

With Nic White likely to be at least one change to the backline that defeated the world champions last weekend, incumbent fullback Tom Banks is perhaps most at risk of losing his place in the side.

That’s the opinion of Queensland and Wallabies greats Chris Latham — the fullback many have compared Banks to — and Flatley.

Although Banks has continued to blossom at Super Rugby since joining the Brumbies from the Reds, the fullback has not yet run with the same conviction on the international stage in 18 Tests.

Nor did his mixed night under the high ball — or failure to find touch a week earlier from a penalty — feel anyone with confidence that the 27-year-old will ever truly own the role, while his lack of ball-playing prowess means the Wallabies are without another creator to take the pressure off the playmaker.

Only a week ago Rennie came to the defence of Banks, telling reporters “we really rate him” and “I’m probably seeing something you’re not seeing.”

But with O’Connor declaring he was fit to return and available for selection, Rennie has a selection headache particularly given Rugby Australia just re-signed the Reds star on a lucrative deal through to the World Cup.

Latham believes O’Connor’s skill-set, which has seen him start in every position in the backline bar halfback, would compliment the Wallabies, particularly with the direct-running option of Samu Kerevi at inside centre.

“With Quade playing so well at 10, I couldn’t see that being changed,” Latham told reporters in Brisbane.

“Whilst I understand the importance of structure, you need that unpredictability in your team as well.

“You need those players that can play unpredictable rugby within the structure. I thought that was the difference that Quade brought.

“He made the Boks sit back and watch and look because they just didn’t know what he was going to do, but he still played very well within the structure whilst doing that.

“Having O’Connor, another strike weapon out there, Samu with that direct running and to offload, and that ability to ball play as well, that mix will just make the Boks think ‘if we rush, we’re going to get hurt, so we have to wait’ and then you get that indecision, and that’s where opportunities start.”

The Springboks who won the World Cup on the back of a rock solid defence and rope-a-dope tactics, which heavily include playing without the ball, were always going to pepper the Wallabies’ back three.

But the lack of conviction showed by Banks, where the Wallabies lost three contestable kicks inside the opening five minutes and a knock-on after 10 minutes, revealed he could be exposed.

Latham said his struggles left the door ajar for O’Connor, who last wore the No.15 jersey during the 2011 World Cup, to come in and add a different skill-set to the role. Cooper and O’Connor last played in the same backline during their bronze medal win against Wales in 2011, while the latter played at No.15 with the former at No.10 in the same World Cup tournament against Russia.

“I’ve been in that position myself over the years with certain players coming and going,” the 78-Test fullback said.

“We knew going into that game last week that the Springboks were going to kick a lot of high balls, and it was going to take us to be on our game on every one of those to defuse that.

“It’s just one of those cut-throat positions that each week if you’re not on that 100 per cent level and you’ve got someone like O’Connor or someone else in the mix, there’s that opportunity for them that they’re going to try that.”

Flatley, who helped defeat the Lions in 2001 and was a star of the 2003 World Cup, said O’Connor could play a role for the Wallabies at fullback.

“We know James is a world-class player when fit, so if he’s fit and ready to get out there, like Quade he’s got that experience and he’s got the know-how to play Test rugby,” Flatley said.

“He’d go out and definitely do a job in the 15 jersey.

“There’s definitely opportunities for both of them (Cooper and O’Connor) to play in the same team.”

Flatley was in the stands on the Gold Coast when Cooper landed his matchwinning penalty.

The former inside back admitted he was surprised by the veteran’s return.

“It’s a great story,” he told foxsports.com.au.

“I love watching Quade play rugby, he’s exciting, he can do things I could only dream of on the footy field, whenever he touches the ball people take notice, he’s got that X-factor about him.

“Once again, it’s all about that growth, he’s really grown as a player, he’s presented himself, his body is in tremendous nick, he just looked at home.”

Flatley, whose child played alongside Noah Lolesio at schoolboy level, said the competition for places was healthy for Australian rugby and believes the Wallabies were in a better place than recent results suggested.

“Noah will be a big part of the future of Australian rugby,” he said.

“I know him personally, he’s a terrific young man.

“It’s actually a real positive to have Quade back.

“He’ll learn a lot from Quade about how to be an international No.10, so I think that’s a real positive and he’ll go on tour and tour the UK and Quade mightn’t necessarily play all those Tests and there will be injuries.

“He’ll be with the squad all the way through.

“As I did, you learn and grow.

“It’s not an easy position to play as a young man and direct traffic to guys who are sometimes 10 years older than you.

“In patches, he’s done a really good job and he’s learning curve is just going to get better and better.

“With a few more years of international rugby whether it’s in the squad or on the bench, he’ll be poised to play a big part in the World Cup in 2023.”