Noumea — Australia coach Michael Cheika has plumped for a slice of South Pacific paradise shorn of any daily distractions to fine-tune his Wallaby squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup in Japan starting on September 20.

The Wallabies will be based in the French South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia until September 5, returning to Sydney for a final warm-up match against Samoa two days later before heading to Japan...