Selection headache refreshing for Australia coach McKenzie

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The encouraging form of Australia's Super Rugby teams early in the competition may lead to refreshing selection dilemmas for Ewen McKenzie ahead of the June internationals against France, the Wallabies coach said on Thursday. Long derided as the weakest of three conferences in the southern hemisphere competition, Australia's teams have reaped 71 points as the season approaches the halfway mark, ahead of South Africa (66) and New Zealand (65). Even the perennial strugglers Western Force have enjoyed an uncharacteristically positive start, and the Perth-based team are bidding for a record fourth straight win against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday. "I think on the whole the Australian conference is doing well," McKenzie told reporters in Sydney. "All of our teams can do well on the night. There's no one there you can take lightly. "Some of the new guys... are poking their noses through and thankfully the old bunch of guys... are putting their hands up. "That will make selection difficult when we get to the middle of May, but that's a good problem to have." Australia play the first test against France in Brisbane on June 7, with the second in Melbourne (June 14) and the final match in Sydney (June 21). (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by John O'Brien)