Wallabies name replacement after hammer blow loss of Rob Valetini for All Blacks trip
Rob Valetini is no longer part of the Wallabies' plan for next weekend under head coach Joe Schmidt, inset
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies have been dealt a hammer blow ahead of next Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks, as Rob Valetini has been ruled out of the trip to Auckland.
Australia are top of the table heading into Round Five, but their hopes of remaining there have been dented with the pre-travel loss of their star back-rower, who packed down at blindside in the recent two home matches with Argentina and was at No.8 away to the Springboks in Cape Town.
A tight calf has hindered Valetini across the 2025 Test window, seeing him feature in just one Test versus the British and Irish Lions. He also missed the matches against Fiji and South Africa in Johannesburg, and is now missing again with the same injury.
His place in the squad has gone to Pete Samu, who is back in Australian rugby following his successful club stint with Bordeaux. Samu’s last cap came against South Africa in the 2023 Championship before Eddie Jones omitted him from that year’s Rugby World Cup squad.
“Replaced by Pete Samu”
A social media post from the Wallabies read: “Rob Valetini (calf tightness) has been replaced by Pete Samu in the squad travelling to Auckland for Round Five of the Rugby Championship.”
With Valetini missing, Schmidt could potentially move lock Tom Hooper to blindside, the position where he featured once against the Lions and twice against South Africa in recent months.
His likely switch from the second row would create a vacancy for the fit-again Nick Frost to slot back in after Hooper started the last day in tandem with Jeremy Williams.
Valetini’s absence will add to the challenge facing the Wallabies as they look to get a result at Eden Park, the Auckland ground where the All Blacks have been unbeaten in their last 51 matches, a record stretching back to 1994.
Both teams go into next weekend’s match off Round Four losses, with Australia beaten by Argentina in Sydney and New Zealand beaten by South Africa by record score in Wellington.
New Zealand’s Eden Park record was something Wallabies scrum-half Jake Gordon touched on with reporters on Friday, saying: “Their incredible record at home at Eden Park is something you definitely wouldn’t take lightly.
“We know the threat they can pose to you on a night. We are very aware of them when they play at their best. They are a really good team who have performed really well for a long time. We are expecting a really good Test match.”
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