Joe Schmidt makes surprising confession over key Wallabies omissions as ‘psycho’ given shot at the British and Irish Lions
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt and lock forward Will Skelton.
Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt has admitted that Rob Valetini and Will Skelton could have played in their opening clash of the British and Irish Lions series.
Australia will be without those two powerful forwards for the encounter in Brisbane this weekend due to injury.
Valetini and Skelton missed the Test against Fiji, which took place almost two weeks ago, but Schmidt was initially confident that both would be ready in time for the Lions Tests.
They will not take to the field at Suncorp Stadium, however, with Schmidt insisting that playing them in game one would have been too great a risk.
‘You might end up worse off’
“If it was the last game of the series, I think they would have been in the mix,” he told reporters. “But the risk you take if you put those guys out there and they’re not quite ready and you try to push them through, you might end up worse off.”
It has been a pretty fraught build-up for the Wallabies, who are now without two forwards who had the ability to compete with the Lions’ power.
With first choice fly-half Noah Lolesio also ruled out – the playmaker being replaced by Tom Lynagh – they are short of some key individuals for the opening match of the series.
“I’d be pretty pragmatic about that and I’d hope that the team are as well. We try not to base our whole game around any individual,” Schmidt said.
“I’d like to think that we can still go out – probably sharing Tom Lynagh’s quiet confidence – and put a game together that at least can keep the British and Irish Lions pretty honest on the day.”
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Wallabies newbie
As for Valetini’s replacement, Schmidt sprung a surprise by naming Nick Champion de Crespigny at blindside in what will be his Test debut.
Champion de Crespigny, who has been described as “a psycho” by back-row team-mate Fraser McReight, enjoyed a fine season at Western Force and has leapt above Tom Hooper and Carlo Tizzano in the pecking order.
“We certainly knew a fair bit about Nick,” Schmidt said. “I keep an eye on the Top 14. Having coached there many years ago, obviously Nick was playing for Castres and they’d been a high-performing team in the Top 14.
“So when he decided to come back, he was immediately on the radar. Not necessarily right in the middle of it, but he was on the periphery of it.
“Then he tended to just get a little bit closer as the Super Rugby season wound on. He’s got a good profile in the air, he’s quick in the air, he is really consistent around his tackle and tackle recovery, and really consistent around his ball carry and his support play.
“He’s a good package for us, we think, and we’re excited that he’s going to get an opportunity.”
