Wallabies squad: Winners and losers including ‘huge setback’ of giant second-row and return of trio from injury
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt (inset) and second-row Will Skelton.
Following the announcement of Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt’s 36-man squad for their upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against Argentina, we select our winners and losers.
Schmidt has retained the bulk of the players who were involved in Australia’s recent Tests with the Springboks where they claimed a shock victory over the world champions in Johannesburg before they suffered a narrow loss in Cape Town at the weekend.
The big talking point is the absence of Will Skelton, who is returning to his French club La Rochelle while the squad has also been boosted by the return of players like Tom Lynagh, Allan Alaalatoa and Harry Potter, who missed the Tests against the Boks due to injuries sustained in the series against the British & Irish Lions.
Australia‘s Rugby Championship campaign resumes against Los Pumas at North Queensland Stadium in Townsville on September 6 before they meet again at Allianz Stadium in Sydney seven days later.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Return of players from injury
The Wallabies have showed steady improvement over the past month as they won the last of their three Tests against the Lions in Sydney before claiming that stunning victory over the Boks in Johannesburg and they also gave a good account of themselves against the same opposition in Cape Town.
In Lynagh, Alaalatoa and Potter, they were without players against the Springboks who were starters in the series against the Lions and their return from injuries should make the Wallabies more competitive during the Rugby Championship.
Lynagh was the playmaker who was the Wallabies’ first choice fly-half in all three Tests against the famous touring team but suffered a concussion in the final Test of that series.
Meanwhile, experienced front-row and former captain Alaalatoa missed that last Test after he sustained a shoulder injury in the second Test defeat in Melbourne while it was a similar story for flyer Potter, who injured his hamstring during the early stages of the latter Test.
However, all three have been declared fit and their inclusion in Schmidt‘s squad will bolster the Wallabies against Argentina.
Jeremy Williams, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham
The absence of Skelton for the next two Tests, means Williams and Salakaia-Loto will be involved in a battle to replace him as Nick Frost’s lock partner in the Wallabies’ starting line-up for the Tests against Los Pumas.
Williams will be the favourite to take Skelton’s spot as he had 23-minute and 32-minute stints in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively as Skelton’s replacement.
Although he was solid on both occasions, replacing a player of Skelton’s calibre is a tough act to follow, and he hardly set the world alight.
That presents an opportunity to Salakaia-Loto, who has been in the broader Wallabies’ squad for the Rugby Championship but not been called up to the matchday 23 for their previous Tests.
He shone when featuring in matches for the Reds, AUNZ Invitational XV and the First Nations and Pasifika XV against the Lions in Australia recently and will be determined to catch Schmidt’s eye at training during the next week as he hopes to be named in the Wallabies run-on side.
Meanwhile, Canham has received a call-up as Skelton’s replacement in the squad after missing out on selection for the Tests against the Boks and he will also be determined to impress Schmidt in an effort to make it into the matchday squad.
What could work in his favour is the fact that Salakaia-Loto will also be considered for the back-row which could increase his chances of being in the mix for a second-row position on matchdays.
Pete Samu
Schmidt has included veteran back-rower Samu in his squad as a replacement for Langi Gleeson, who is battling a heel injury which kept him on the sidelines for the second Test against South Africa.
Samu has returned to Australia where he has joined the Waratahs after a successful two-year stint with Bordeaux-Begles where he played a leading role during the French club’s triumphant Investec Champions Cup campaign earlier this year.
A player with Samu’s experience and impressive skillset will be welcomed by Wallabies supporters and don’t be surprised if he forces his way into the matchday 23 for he upcoming Tests against Argentina.
Harry Wilson
Australia’s first choice captain sat out their second Test against the world champions in Cape Town due to a knee injury and although Rob Valetini was a more than able replacement, Wallabies’ supporters will be delighted that Wilson has been included in the squad for the Argentina Tests.
Apart from shining on attack and defence, Wilson has come on in leaps and bounds as Australia’s captain over the past 12 months and his leadership skills were missed during last weekend’s loss to the Boks.
Hopefully, the number eight will be fully fit for the first Test against Los Pumas as a back-row with him, Valetini and Fraser McReight is one of the Wallabies’ strengths.
Joe Schmidt
The New Zealand-born coach deserves plenty of credit for the Wallabies’ improvement over the past month and a lot of that is down to some shrewd selections and building a competitive spirit within his squad.
Despite having numerous injury setbacks within his squad, Schmidt has built depth in his ranks and after several years in the doldrums, the Wallabies have emerged as a competitive unit in the international arena again.
Schmidt has endured his fair share of criticism since taking charge of the Wallabies after their disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign and he will hoping to continue with their impressive performances during the rest of the Rugby Championship which will set a solid platform for his successor Les Kiss, who will replace him after the tournament.
Losers
Will Skelton
The loss of the behemoth second-row, who is returning to La Rochelle ahead of the Top 14’s start, will be a huge setback for the Wallabies as he has shown over the past month how important he is to their cause and it’s fair to say they are a different side when he is not playing.
While Skelton does not jump in the lineouts, the 33-year-old is a genuine enforcer who brings plenty of physicality to the Wallabies cause and his impact at close quarters on attack and defence will be missed against Los Pumas.
After the Wallabies’ triumph over the Boks in Johannesburg, Skelton said he was optimistic that he would represent his country against Argentina but it wasn’t to be as he will now head to France to represent his club.
Rugby Australia have confirmed that they are involved in negotiations with La Rochelle over Skelton’s availability for the last two Rugby Championship Tests against the All Blacks in Auckland and Perth.
If he is available for those encounters, it will be a big boost for the Wallabies who are trying regain the Bledisloe Cup which they last held in 2002.
Injured players
The Springboks Tests were bruising and physical encounters and although the Wallabies did well to go toe-to-toe with the world champions in two Tests, there were some casualties with the likes of Dylan Pietsch, Ben Donaldson, Tom Wright and Gleeson all succumbing to injuries.
Pietsch is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after suffering a broken jaw in the first Boks Test when he came off second best in a brutal collision with Siya Kolisi.
Meanwhile Donaldson sustained a lower limb injury at training ahead of that clash and after missing both encounters against South Africa, he was also ruled out of the Argentina Tests.
Wright is another long-term casualty after he suffered an ACL injury during the early stages of Test in Cape Town. His absence during the rest of the Wallabies’ Test campaign will be a major blow as the full-back was one of their best players so far this year.
Gleeson came on during the final quarter in Johannesburg but was ruled out of the Cape Town clash due to his heel injury which will make it difficult to return to the squad – if he recovers in time – if the Wallabies continue to impress in the Los Pumas Tests.
Apart from that quartet, Charlie Cale, Massimo De Lutiis, Matt Faessler, Jake Gordon, Noah Lolesio, Luke Reimer, and Liam Wright are also currently on the sidelines.
Aidan Ross
The former All Blacks and Chiefs front-row was first named in the Wallabies squad ahead of the final Test against the Lions while Schmidt also included him in his group for the Rugby Championship matches against South Africa.
The new Reds prop is eligible for the Wallabies as he was born in Australia and last played for the All Blacks in July 2022, against Ireland, completing the three-year stand-down period.
However, he is yet to make his Wallabies debut and drops out of the squad due to Alaalatoa’s recall. Ross was in the running to make his debut against the Boks in Cape Town but wasn’t included in the matchday squad and will have to wait a little longer before making his Wallabies bow after this setback.
