Wallabies squad: Winners and losers as retiree ‘answers Joe Schmidt SOS’ while snub a ‘surprise’ for Springboks trip
Wallabies utility forward Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and back-row Pete Samu (inset).
Following the announcement of Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt’s 35-man squad for their upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against South Africa, we select our winners and losers.
As expected, Schmidt’s squad consists of the bulk of the players who were in action during their recent three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions.
There are some new faces in the group, including three uncapped players but although Schmidt is now allowed to select overseas-based players without restrictions, after Rugby Australia scrapped its Giteau Law, the vast majority of the players in his squad play their club rugby in Australia.
Australia‘s Rugby Championship campaign gets underway against South Africa at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on August 16 before the old foes face off at DHL Stadium in Cape Town seven days later.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers from the squad.
Winners
Nic White
There was plenty of fanfare ahead of last weekend’s third and final Test against the Lions as the experienced scrum-half was named in the starting line-up for what he thought would be his final Test.
However, an injury to Jake Gordon, who was the Wallabies’ first choice scrum-half in the first two Tests against the tourists, has put the Test retiree’s plans on hold as he has answered Schmidt’s SOS and been included in the squad for the Rugby Championship clashes with the Springboks.
The 35-year-old was one of the Wallabies’ best players in their 22-12 victory against the Lions in Sydney on Saturday and his experience will be invaluable against the world champions on their home turf.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto
The Reds utility forward was one of the players who saw the most action against the Lions on their recent tour to Australia as he featured for the Reds, AUNZ Invitational XV and the First Nations and Pasifika XV.
Although Salakaia-Loto finished on the losing side in all those encounters, he shone in the matches and his impressive performances have now been recognised by Schmidt. Equally at home on the flank and in the second-row, Salakaia-Loto will be a good option off the bench for the Wallabies against the Springboks.
Uncapped trio
Although Schmidt has retained the core of his squad who were involved against the Lions, he has also called up the uncapped trio of new Reds front-row Aidan Ross and Brumbies backline duo Ryan Lonergan (scrum-half) and Corey Toole (wing). Like Salakaia-Loto, all three faced the Lions recently but were on the losing side in their respective fixtures but caught the eye with impressive performances.
Former All Black Ross, who was born in Australia before moving to New Zealand as a child, was added to the Wallabies group for their final Test against the Lions but was not included in the matchday squad for that clash in Sydney. The 29-year-old made his only All Blacks Test appearance in July 2022 against Ireland and has now completed World Rugby’s mandatory three-year gap before switching allegiances.
Meanwhile, Lonergan has earned his call-up due to an injury to Jake Gordon and will serve as the Wallabies’ third choice scrum-half behind White and Tate McDermott. Fellow Brumby Toole is no stranger to the Wallabies set-up as Schmidt has called him up to previous training camps and he gets his chance as a replacement for Harry Potter, who was injured in the second Test against the Lions.
Tane Edmed
The Brumbies-bound playmaker has been in the international wilderness this season since making a forgetful debut off the replacements bench against Ireland during the Wallabies’ end-of-year tour in 2024.
Edmed was forced off the field after just three minutes due to concussion in that encounter and his recall to the Wallabies squad for the games against the Boks is due to a similar setback suffered by Tom Lynagh after a dangerous clear-out from Lions hooker Dan Sheehan in the final Test in Sydney. The 24-year-old is one of three fly-halves in the Wallabies squad – along with Ben Donaldson and James O’Connor – and will be determined add to his single Wallabies cap and show Schmidt that he can make the step up to the international arena.
Josh Flook
Despite only having a handful of Test caps for the Wallabies, the 23-year-old is an exciting prospect who has caught the eye with some impressive performances during his short career in the international arena.
A brilliant attacker, blessed with searing pace and an astute rugby brain, Flook is one of four Reds players who will be plying their trades with United Rugby Championship club Benetton on a temporary basis ahead of the Brisbane-based outfit’s 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign. Flook showed his class when he scored a well-taken try for the Reds in their defeat to the Lions and will be hoping to get a chance to impress against the Boks.
Billy Pollard, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Josh Nasser
The latter duo have been called up to the squad following the recent retirement of Dave Porecki and an injury to Matt Faessler, and will join Pollard in the group as the three hookers.
Brumbies star Pollard was the reserve hooker in the first two Tests against the Lions but is the Wallabies’ first choice number two and impressed during a 73-minute stint in the third encounter with the visitors in Sydney and will be favourite to start again when they face the Boks.
Western Force stalwart Paenga-Amosa was a late addition to the Wallabies’ matchday squad last week for their clash with the Lions in Sydney after Porecki and Faessler were forced to withdraw after sustaining injuries at training in the build-up to that clash. He came on during the closing stages of that Test and will be keen to build on that performance.
It’s a similar story for Nasser, who, despite being the least inexperienced hooker in the Wallabies squad, with just one Test appearance made, will also been to impress and show Schmidt that he can do a job in the international arena.
Losers
Injured players
The Wallabies’ series against the Lions finished in a 2-1 defeat but they also lost the services of some key players in those battles and the absence of players like Allan Alaalatoa, Potter, Lynagh, and Faessler will be keenly felt.
Alaalatoa was ruled out of that last Test after he sustained a shoulder injury in the Wallabies’ second Test defeat against the tourists at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and it was a similar story for Potter who was forced of during the early stages of that Test after injuring his hamstring.
Meanwhile, Lynagh is set for a stint on the sidelines following his concussion after that Sheehan clear-out in the last clash with the Lions and Faessler is still out due to a calf strain sustained at training in the build-up to that Test in Sydney.
Josh Canham
Although the 24-year-old second-rower caught the eye with an impressive performance for the Reds in their 52-12 defeat to the Lions, that was the only match he featured in against the tourists.
Canham was included in the Wallabies’ broader group for the series against the Lions but did not get a call up to the matchday squads for any of the three Tests and is now deemed surplus to requirements for the Rugby Championship’s opening matches. It appears that he was competing for a place in the squad with Reds team-mate Salakaia-Loto with the latter’s utility value swinging things in his favour.
Filipo Daugunu
The 30-year-old misses out on selection as he will remain in Australia for the impending birth of his child.
Daugunu was included in the Wallabies squad for the Lions series and featured off the bench during the latter stages of their narrow victory over Fiji in Newcastle but did not see action against the tourists in their Tests.
He did face them though when he turned out for the First Nations and Pasifika XV in the clash with the Lions in Melbourne, but only lasted 11 minutes before leaving the field due to concussion. He will be hoping to return to the Wallabies side later in the Rugby Championship.
Experienced back-row duo
Although Rugby Australia are no longer taking the Giteau Law into consideration, Schmidt has opted not to select Rob Leota who is leaving Australia’s shores after joining Top 14 club Bayonne on a two-year deal.
Leota did face the Lions recently as part of the Lions squad but he did not stand out in that fixture and that could be the reason for Schmidt omitting him from the squad.
Meanwhile, the absence of another experienced back-rower in Pete Samu is somewhat a surprise as he was one of Bordeaux-Begles’ star performers during their victorious Investec Champions Cup campaign before returning to Australia to join the Waratahs.
Last month, Samu was prevented from appearing for the First Nations and Pasifika XV against the Lions as he did not meet the eligibility criteria and he has suffered another setback with his omission from Schmidt’s squad after he indicated that he was still available for Test selection after his return to Australia.
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