Wallabies team: Five takeaways as ‘big boppers’ picked to take Springboks on ‘at their own game’ while ‘bold’ James O’Connor return points to wider depth issue
Will Skelton carrying the ball with an inset of James O'Connor
Following the announcement of the Wallabies’ 23-man squad to face the Springboks in round one of the Rugby Championship, here are our five key takeaways from Joe Schmidt’s selection.
The top line
Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt has made just two changes to his 23-man squad that beat the British and Irish Lions for his side’s upcoming clash against the Springboks, with the headline change being the return of James O’Connor at fly-half.
The ex-Crusaders back comes into the starting XV as a direct replacement for Tom Lynagh, who misses the game through concussion. O’Connor is also joined by Nick Champion de Crespigny in coming into the squad, with the Western Force forward coming onto the bench for Ben Donaldson. His inclusion also sees Australia revert back to a 6:2 bench.
Elsewhere, Schmidt has opted to reward form from the Lions series, with Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Dylan Pietsch and the previously retired Nic White retained in the backline.
Up front, Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Tom Hooper, Will Skelton, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Billy Pollard and James Slipper all keep their spots as well.
Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott and Andrew Kellaway all join Champion de Crespigny on the bench.
Commenting on his selection, Schmidt said: “The group has had a good week of preparation, adjusting pretty well to the time zone and the altitude well here in Johannesburg.
“There’s not many bigger Tests than playing South Africa on their home turf and we know we’re going to need to be at our best on Saturday night.”
Guess who’s back
It’s bold, it’s brash, it’s somewhat sexy. James O’Connor is BACK!
The Leicester Tigers-bound ace returns to the Wallabies side for the first time in four years as he comes in for the injured Tom Lynagh, and he comes in with plenty of pressure.
O’Connor is by far the most experienced fly-half at Australia’s disposal with 64 caps to his name, and to be fair, he’s also the only one left in their current squad following the injury to Ben Donaldson, but his lack of recent Test exposure, coupled with a new role at club level, makes this a risky call.
For the most part, O’Connor has been deployed off the bench during his time in Christ Church, with just one of his 16 appearances coming in the Saders’ starting XV. Around that, he also found minutes hard to come by, averaging just 24 per game, while also being shifted to full-back at times as well.
You would still back him to perform, and that’s the main reason he’s got the nod at 10. He is a proven winner with the Wallabies, and he performed his role with the Crusaders to perfection as he helped close out games and guide them towards a title. His form also earned him a move to the Prem and later saw him re-enter the Test picture ahead of the Lions series after four years in the wilderness.
But yet, it points to a much deeper issue within Australian rugby. Their depth at fly-half.
Yes, having three injuries at the same time is an unfortunate coincidence, but teams at the very top of the international game can replace them with the click of their fingers. Their opponents this weekend, South Africa, have given Manie Libbok the nod at 10 this weekend, leaving two arguably world-class fly-halves sitting outside of their 23-man squad this weekend in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard, plus Damian Wilemse as cover if needed.
Elsewhere, England and France also have options coming out of their ears at fly-half, especially after their July tours; while Australia have had to turn to O’Connor to get them out of trouble, and have out-and-out scrum-half Nic White on standby as cover.
He has a big point to prove this weekend.
Retirement? What retirement!
To quote the Wolf of Wall Street: “I’m not leaving. I’m not leaving. I’m not ****ING LEAVING!”
Nic White got the absolute perfect ending to his Test career, both from a personal performance perspective and the result, but alas, it was a false ending as the wily number nine returns to the squad.
The scrum-half comes back to provide some much-needed cover, with Jake Gordon still on the sidelines, but he offers more than just an extra body. His desire to get under the opposition’s skin was the key to Australia’s victory over the Lions, with Will Skelton acting as the muscle to back up his words, and you can tell how much he means to the squad based on their moustache-themed tribute to him before the Lions Test.
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Alongside that, White showed he can still boss a game as well. His box-kicking was immaculate, his distribution pinpoint in less-than-desirable conditions, and he got them playing with some nice rhythm as well.
But, like the return of O’Connor, having to bring White out of Test retirement points to an issue at scrum-half, which needs to be solved. Again, an injury to your usual starter is frustrating for a coach, and McDermott has impressed off the bench, but they need more options pushing into the side.
Smash and bash
Schmidt’s selection of a 6:2 split on the bench, plus the deployment of big boppers Hooper, Wilson, Tupou and Skelton in tandem in the starting XV points to one thing and one thing only. They are going to take the game to the Boks.
The Wallabies have not traditionally been a smash-and-bash team, far from it. From the days of the great David Campese to even now, Australia have always looked to play fast, expansive, attacking rugby, but this selection indicates Schmidt’s reign will end with his team looking to beat their opposition up.
This is also a tactic that has worked for Australia, very recently at that. The Wallabies pummelled the Lions into submission in Test Three in Sydney, and it worked for 79 minutes in Test Two as well before Hugo Keenan’s late heroics. It’s worked so much that even Rassie Erasmus was placed on high alert, and possibly cause him to change his initial 23-man squad to match the Wallabies’ selection.
But, going against the Springboks at their own game, even with their new attacking system and desire to throw the ball around and play fast-flowing rugby, is by no means an easy task. While their backline is their new threat in this system, Erasmus has deployed a frightening starting eight for the game at Ellis Park, and while we are yet to see any changes on the bench at the time of writing, he has still named an equally strong five replacements.
This battle up front will be quite some.
Troublesome injury trend emerges
The glaring omission within this Wallabies selection was fly-half Ben Donaldson; however, he has been ruled out through injury. In isolation, this seems pretty standard, but when pieced with other similar issues within the Wallabies camp, it points to an emerging and troublesome trend.
Right across their 2025 Test season, Australia have seen some of their key men pick up knocks. Be it Skelton, Valetini, Gordon and now Donaldson, there seems to be a fresh training blow picked up every week, and while injuries are inevitable in rugby, this will be causing Schmidt some concern.
Again, injuries are just a part of life in professional rugby, but they are now stopping the Wallabies from picking their best team, which could be a factor in results. Take Test One against the Lions, where Valetini and Skelton were absent, they were way off the pace and ultimately fell to a heavy defeat.
These little injuries can really hamper cohesion, both within specific units and the wider team, so hopefully it ends soon.
