Wallabies team: Joe Schmidt’s selection shocks as Australia rocked by injuries while Will Skelton misses British and Irish Lions opener
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt and an inset of Nick Champion De Crespigny.
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt has named his team for the opening Test match against the British and Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.
Flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny will make his Test debut against the famous touring outfit, starting in the number six jersey with Rob Valetini ruled out with a calf injury.
Valetini is not the only powerhouse forward missing from the Wallabies pack with Will Skelton ruled out after tweaking his calf in the narrow 21-18 win over Fiji earlier this month.
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Champion de Crespigny completes a remarkable rise to the national team jersey, which included a stint in the Top 14, before returning to Australian rugby and the Western Force ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Fraser McReight and captain Harry Wilson join him in the loose forwards, while Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams will again start in the second-row.
Dave Porecki is also carrying an injury and is replaced as the run-on hooker by Matt Faessler. James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa are the starting props.
Tom Lynagh has been named in the number 10 jersey, following the injury to Noah Lolesio in the win over Fiji, as the 22-year-old becomes the first player to follow in their father’s footsteps in playing against the Lions after his father Michael pulled on the same numbered gold jersey when the side toured in 1989.
The son of the Wallabies legend features in an all-new half-back pairing with Jake Gordon, named at scrum-half while Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii start in the centres once again.
Tom Wright starts at full-back with Max Jorgensen and Harry Potter on the wings.
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There is no space on the bench for powerhouse prop Taniela Tupou as Schmidt has preferred in-form Western Force front-rower Tom Robertson as his back-up tighthead prop with Angus Bell covering loosehead and Billy Pollard hooker.
It will be Robertson’s first Test since 2022 as he features in a 5-3 bench split along with fellow forwards Tom Hooper and Carlo Tizzano.
Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson and Andrew Kellaway are the replacement backline players with the latter in line to earn his 40th Test cap for Australia.
Wallabies head coach Schimdt said: “The whole squad has worked hard as a group to prepare for what’s going to a massive challenge against an in-form Lions team.
“With the short runway leading up to such a big Test match, we know we must adapt fast and improve quickly, from the performance we had against Fiji recently.
“We’re very much aware of the occasion and conscious of earning the support from the public through the effort they see on the field.”
Australia team v British and Irish Lions
Wallabies: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Tom Lynagh, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Tom Hooper, 20 Carlo Tizzano, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Andrew Kellaway
Date: Saturday, July 19
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-Off: 7:45pm AEST, 10:45am BST
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
