Wallabies squad: Winners and losers as Les Kiss makes ‘shock selection’ and snubs experienced playmakers
Wallabies head coach Les Kiss (inset) and uncapped utility forward Toby Macpherson in action for the Brumbies.
Following the announcement of Wallabies head coach Les Kiss’ 34-man Wallabies squad for their upcoming Bledisloe Cup Tests against New Zealand, we select our winners and losers.
As expected, Kiss’ squad consists of the bulk of the players who were in action during their recent 42-38 triumph against the Springboks in Perth.
After that outstanding result against the world champions, Kiss has retained the bulk of his squad, although there are some new faces in the group.
They are the inexperienced forward duo Toby Macpherson and Massimo De Lutiis while experienced outside back Filipo Daugunu makes his return to the squad after recovering from injury.
Australia‘s Bledisloe Cup campaign gets underway at Eden Park in Auckland on October 10 before the old foes face off at the Accor Stadium in Sydney seven days later.
So, without further ado, here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Toby Macpherson
The 22-year-old uncapped utility forward’s selection was the shock selection of the Wallabies squad announcement, and he earns his call-up as a replacement for Tom Hooper, who has returned to his club Exeter Chiefs.
Equally at home on the flank or at lock, Macpherson caught the eye with some impressive performances for the Brumbies during their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
He is strong on either side of the ball and at 1,99 metres and 113 kilograms, he enjoys the physical nature of the game, especially in the tight exchanges, while he is also a handy option in the lineouts.
Macpherson is a former Australia U20 captain, who has represented his country in 13 matches at that level and he will be determined to make a positive impact at training over the next couple of weeks in a bid to make his senior international debut.
Massimo De Lutiis
Another one of the younger members in the Wallabies’ squad, De Lutiis became the Wallabies’ 1000th Test player when he came off the bench in the second half of his team’s 56-17 triumph over Japan in Townsville last month.
The 22-year-old front-row returns to the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup squad after experienced counterpart Taniela Tupou had to return to Racing 92 for club duties.
De Lutiis capped a memorable Wallabies debut by crossing for a try against the Brave Blossoms and went on to make further Test appearances off the bench in matches against Argentina in Jujuy and Buenos Aires.
He was not part of Australia’s squad for their clash against South Africa but has been recalled now and will be eager to be involved in the Tests against the All Blacks.
Filipo Daugunu
The 31-year-old utility back has been recalled to the Wallabies set-up after recovering from a minor knee injury which ruled him out of the victory over the world champions in Perth.
Prior to that, Daugunu was a regular in the Wallabies’ matchday squad during the Nations Championship as well as in Tests against Japan and Argentina and made his last appearance in the 28-28 draw with Los Pumas in Buenos Aires.
Adept on the wing or in midfield, Daugunu’s versatility is one of his strengths and he will be a handy option in either of the aforementioned positions when Kiss selects his matchday squad for the first Test against the All Blacks.
Les Kiss
Since taking over the Wallabies’ coaching reins from Joe Schmidt at the end of their Nations Championship Tests in July, things have gone smoothly for Kiss as his side heads into their Bledisloe Cup opener in Auckland on a five-match unbeaten run.
They face arguably the toughest task in the game against the All Blacks at Eden Park, where the men in black have not tasted defeat in 53 Tests since 1994.
But although his team will head into that fixture as the underdogs, Kiss has built good depth in his ranks since becoming Wallabies boss. His Bledisloe Cup squad selection has a good blend of experienced players and youngsters who are keen to impress.
Kiss and his players will be quietly confident of causing an upset against the men in black at the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby. If they achieve that and manage what many believe is the unthinkable, by securing another victory in the return match in Sydney, it would mean the Wallabies will be crowned Bledisloe Cup winners for the first time since 2002.
Losers
Taniela Tupou and Tom Hooper
The Racing 92 tighthead prop and Exeter Chiefs utility forward both played important parts off the replacements bench in that memorable win over the Springboks last weekend, but both will not be in action against the All Blacks as they return to their respective clubs.
This is due to the Bledisloe Cup Tests falling outside World Rugby’s Regulation 9 window. Tests scheduled outside the aforementioned window do not carry a mandatory release obligation, which means clubs can refuse to release overseas-based players.
Both players impressed when coming off the bench during the early stages of the second half against the Boks and their presence will be missed in both Tests against their trans-Tasman rivals.
Jock Campbell
The Reds full-back is technically the only player who has been dropped from the Wallabies squad after the Springboks clash but has been placed on standby as a replacement for Hunter Paisami.
This is due to Paisami’s availability being subject to the outcome of a disciplinary committee hearing after he received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the closing stages of Australia’s triumph over South Africa.
Campbell is unlucky to drop out of the squad for the Bledisloe Cup as he has done little wrong. He impressed when he made his only start of the year in a narrow loss to Ireland in Australia’s Nations Championship opener in Sydney in July.
The full-back made one more appearance off the bench against France the following week but has not been involved in any matchday squads since then, and his chances of featuring against the All Blacks appear to be very slim.
Injured players
Although Kiss can be happy with the squad he has picked, there is also a long list of injured players who will not be in action in either of the Bledisloe Cup matches.
They are: Charlie Cale, Josh Flook, Langi Gleeson, Carter Gordon, Jake Gordon, Matt Philip, Henry Robertson, Pete Samu, Blake Schoupp, Will Skelton.
Of those players, the injuries to Gordon and Skelton are probably the biggest setbacks with behemoth second-row Skelton sidelined until next year with a ruptured Achilles injury which he sustained while on club duty for La Rochelle against Bayonne in March.
Meanwhile, star playmaker Gordon is set to be sidelined for about two months after suffering a fractured fibula during the drawn Test with Argentina in Buenos Aires.
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Experienced playmakers
With Gordon sidelined due to injury, Ben Donaldson is the only experienced fly-half in the Wallabies squad alongside rookie playmakers Declan Meredith and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips.
Earlier this month, Planet Rugby features writer Christy Doran urged Kiss to recall at least one of Bernard Foley or James O’Connor to the Wallabies squad with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia exactly a year away.
Utility back Kurtley Beale is another veteran playmaker who could do a job as a number 10 for the Wallabies but Kiss has decided against selecting any of the experienced trio in his squad.
The trio have 12 months to impress Kiss with O’Connor recently joining Beale at the Western Force while Foley has returned to the Waratahs ahead of the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
