Wallabies squad winners and losers: Overseas duo provide ‘much-needed boost’, another shunted as Joe Schmidt gambles on Joseph Suaalii
Joe Schmidt has named his Wallabies squad for their end-of-year Tests.
Following the announcement of Joe Schmidt’s 34-man Australia squad for their upcoming end-of-year internationals, Planet Rugby picks out the winners and losers.
Despite a woeful Rugby Championship campaign, Schmidt has retained the bulk of his squad who were on duty in that tournament, although he has made some bold tweaks ahead of their Grand Slam tour.
There are, as always, plenty of talking points from the selections for the Tests but here are our winners and losers from the Wallabies squad announcement.
Winners
Will Skelton and Samu Kerevi
There has been plenty of talk about Schmidt‘s decision to limit the number of overseas-based players in the Wallabies squad as Marika Koroibete was the only player who plies his traded outside Australia to represent his country in the international arena so far this year. However, that is set to change after Schmidt opted to include behemoth lock Skelton and exciting centre Kerevi in his squad for this tour.
If truth be told, the experienced duo’s selections are exciting ones and should bolster the Wallabies in key areas which they have struggled in this year. Skelton’s physicality will be welcomed in the forward exchanges as that was a facet of play which Australia came off second best in their recent Rugby Championship Tests. Meanwhile, Kerevi is a powerful ball carrier who will be expected to give his side much-needed momentum in the wider channels.
Joseph Suaalii
There has been plenty of hype around ex-rugby league star Suaalii’s decision to switch codes and he is now set to achieve the rare feat of playing at Test level before featuring in a provincial or Super Rugby match. Although the jury is still out on which position in the backline he will be feature in, the former Sydney Roosters star is blessed with an excellent skill set and will be raring to go.
At the age of 21, Suaalii still has his best years ahead of him and what works in his favour is that he previously played rugby union as he represented the Australian Schoolboys with distinction a few years ago. Suaalii could easily have been included in the Australia XV squad, who are also touring Europe, to ease him in upon his return to the 15-a-side code but Schmidt is backing the youngster who will be determined to repay the faith his coach has shown in him.
Tane Edmed
The selection of Edmed might come as a surprise to some but it’s a fitting reward for the young fly-half who caught the eye with some outstanding performances for North Harbour in the National Provincial Championship (NPC) recently.
The red-headed playmaker earned rave reviews in New Zealand as he impressed with his playmaking skills and excellent game management and by selecting the 24-year old, Schmidt will be hoping he puts pressure on the likes of Noah Lolesio and Ben Donaldson for the Wallabies’ number 10 jersey.
Trio of wings
While Koroibete’s omission from the squad was one of the major talking points, it presents a fantastic opportunity for the wingers who were selected in the squad to take his spot in the first choice run-on side. Andrew Kellaway is the most experienced of the trio consisting of himself Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen and he has featured in matches alongside Koroibete, which means he has the inside lane for one of the starting winger’s berths, while Pietsch and Jorgensen will slug it out for the other.
Harry Potter
The selection of the English-born former Leicester Tigers player was the biggest surprise as the 26-year-old utility back spent the bulk of the Super Rugby Pacific campaign on the sidelines due to an ankle injury sustained in April.
Equally adept at full-back, centre or wing, Potter will also be in the mix to take Koroibete’s spot out wide.
While his selection might be surprising, he has been back in action with the Force since last month and impressed enough on his return for Schmidt to take notice.
Joe Schmidt
The New Zealand-born coach has endured mostly tough times since taking over the Wallabies’ coaching reins, with his decision to only select Koroibete as an overseas-based player receiving plenty of criticism during their poor Rugby Championship campaign. However, he has brought in Skelton and Kerevi who will provide a much-needed boost and shown great courage in taking a gamble on Suaalii of whom there are big expectations on this tour.
Losers
Marika Koroibete
After announcing his international retirement at the end of last year’s Rugby World Cup campaign in France, the Japan-based flyer changed his mind and returned to the Wallabies set-up ahead of the Rugby Championship. Although the two-time John Eales Medalist was one of the Wallabies’ better players during a disastrous 2023 season, he could not repeat that form in 2024.
Koroibete missed Australia’s opening Rugby Championship defeat to South Africa in Brisbane but was in their starting line-up for the corresponding match with the Springboks in Perth – which they also lost – and their win over Argentina in La Plata. He did not set the world alight in those games and was shown up horribly on defence in the Wallabies’ next match against Los Pumas in Santa Fe, which ended in a record defeat for the visitors.
Although he retained his starting spot for their next match, which ended in a loss to New Zealand in Sydney, that appears to be his last game for his country as he was dropped for the next defeat against the All Blacks in Wellington and has now been omitted for their year-end tour too.
Tom Lynagh
The 21-year-old’s omission is largely due to the selection of Edmed whose form in the NPC could not be ignored.
Lynagh had limited opportunities this year and made all three his Test appearances of the replacements bench, with Lolesio and Donaldson ahead of him in the pecking order for the Wallabies’ number 10 jersey.
While he will be disappointed, he has been included in the Australia XV squad and will be determined to show Schmidt that it was a mistake to omit him.
Corey Toole
The Brumbies flyer is highly rated in Australia as he has proven at Super Rugby Pacific level that he is a brilliant finisher, blessed with plenty of pace and one of the fastest rugby players in the country.
Toole’s excellent finishing skills put him in the conversation for Wallabies selection for their mid-year Tests. However, after a conversation with Schmidt he returned to Australia’s sevens programme and represented his country at the Olympic Games in Paris earlier this year.
He will also be hoping to make the most of his selection in the Australia XV side.
Josh Flook and Hamish Stewart
This duo of inexperienced centres are in a similar situation to Lynagh – who has dropped down in the fly-half pecking order after Edmed’s emergence – with Kerevi’s return deeming their services surplus to requirements.
Flook and Stewart are exciting players who have impressed for the Reds and Western Force respectively in Super Rugby Pacific and although both have not disgraced themselves in the international arena, it makes sense to bring in a player of Kerevi’s quality as his experience will prove invaluable on this tour.
Forward trio
Like Lynagh, Toole, Flook and Stewart, forwards like Tom Hooper, Angus Blyth and Josh Canham missed out on Wallabies selection but will get a chance to impress while on tour with the Australia XV team for their games against Bristol Bears and England A.
Hooper, who can play on the flank or at lock, is the most experienced of the trio after making his Test debut in 2023 while Blyth and Canham made their international bows earlier this year.
It makes sense that they were named in the Australia XV side as all three should feature prominently in that team and it was highly unlikely that they would’ve earned selection to the Wallabies’ matchday squad on that tour.
READ MORE: Joe Schmidt explains Marika Koroibete’s omission as Wallabies star’s Test future comes into doubt
