Wallabies team: Winners and losers as Joe Schmidt ‘backs down’ on big selection policy but undercooked stars could prove ‘catastrophic’ to Lions series hopes
Rob Valetini and Noah Lolesio in action for the Wallabies.
Following the announcement of Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies team to face Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday, we pick out our winners and losers.
In Australia’s only match ahead of the British and Irish Lions Tests, the head coach has effectively named his strongest available side, knowing that they will need to be match sharp for the series.
Some of the key players and combinations which emerged during the end-of-year series in November have remained, such as the centre partnership between Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaalii, but Schmidt has also made some intriguing selection calls.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Harry Wilson
Congratulations to the Reds number eight who retains the captaincy after doing a fine job in the November series. Wilson has once again been in outstanding form for the Reds this season and he will look to continue that in the gold jersey.
It will be interesting to see how he fares without the ballast of Rob Valetini, however. The big blindside provides a useful foil for the other back-rowers, allowing them to roam around in the loose and use their impressive skill sets in the wider channels. There is certainly a bit of extra pressure on Wilson, but he has shown in the past that he can handle it.
Joseph Suaalii and Max Jorgensen
After injury issues curtailed their Super Rugby Pacific campaign, both are back in action having been named in the Wallabies’ starting backline. Suaalii has not featured since early May after being stretchered off following some ‘friendly fire’ which ended his domestic season.
Thankfully for Australia, he has been passed fit and will no doubt be a crucial component in their game plan as they look to take advantage of the Lions’ aerial and restart problems. Schmidt will be frustrated that Suaalii, who is still new to the sport after all, did not get more game time in Super Rugby, but the 21-year-old has already shown that he can adapt very quickly.
As for Jorgensen, he has already suffered injury issues in his brief career so far and in March had to undergo surgery on an ankle problem, but the head coach will be very happy to see him return this weekend. The 20-year-old showed his immense talent in November last year, scoring the winning try against England, and will hope to kick on in 2025.
Noah Lolesio
Prior to the announcement which confirmed his forthcoming move to Japan, Lolesio was nailed on for the fly-half shirt. Since then, questions have been raised about whether that impending departure would affect his Wallabies chances, while a horrible-looking injury while playing for the Brumbies also put his participation in doubt.
Thankfully for Lolesio, that spinal issue proved to be minor and Schmidt has relaxed his policy on including those who have committed elsewhere, thus allowing the playmaker to take the reins for the Fiji Test and likely the British and Irish Lions series.
Other overseas-bound stars
Speaking of those that are heading offshore, Langi Gleeson and Tom Hooper have both been given a reprieve, despite agreeing deals with Montpellier and Exeter Chiefs respectively. Gleeson was infamously ‘uninvited’ to a training camp after his switch was announced, but Schmidt has decided to back down on that ahead of the Lions tour.
You wonder whether the situation with Lolesio ultimately forced the head coach’s hand, given that the fly-half was comfortably their first choice pivot after a successful 2024 campaign. As a result, it has opened the door for those that are going overseas with Gleeson, who impressed as an impact player in 2024, and Hooper getting into the 23 for the Fiji Test.
Dave Porecki
After missing the entirety of 2024 through injury, the former captain will take to the field for the Wallabies for the first time since their ill-fated 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign. Porecki has also missed a few games this season for the Waratahs, but it shows how highly Schmidt rates him that he has got the nod for this clash.
Losers
Key injuries
Schmidt has revealed that Valetini, Will Skelton and Jake Gordon should all be available for the British and Irish Lions series, but their absence for Sunday’s encounter is still a major concern. While the famous touring side are getting plenty of game time leading into the Tests, those three will go in cold and that could prove catastrophic.
Valetini is particularly important to Australia’s chances of claiming an upset as he provides genuine punch to a pack which is generally underpowered. Equally, Skelton’s impact, whether starting or more likely off the bench, will also be critical if they are going to match their opponents when the series begins.
As for Gordon, he has cemented himself as the Wallabies’ first choice scrum-half, providing an accurate kicking game, slick service from the base and composure in key moments. He is the perfect starter for Schmidt’s side and allows Tate McDermott to challenge tiring defences in the second period.
Tom Lynagh
Speaking of injuries, the Reds playmaker is still nursing a hand issue and will miss the Fiji Test having also not been involved in his franchise’s clash with the British and Irish Lions on Wednesday.
While Lolesio was always likely to be first choice, Lynagh was pushing him hard after a fine Super Rugby Pacific season. However, missing the upcoming encounter with the Flying Fijians could put pay to his hopes of taking on the Lions in the main series.
Angus Bell
An interesting decision from Schmidt to drop the loosehead to the bench after excelling in the Autumn Nations Series. Perhaps the head coach simply wants to see how James Slipper fares in the starting role before swapping them for the Lions or, and this seems likelier, he is being seen as an impact replacement.
That view is understandable given Bell’s destructive ability in the loose, combined with his fine set-piece work that could help at the end of the games, but he is a prop that can go for at least an hour. That would surely be preferable than risking a quick Lions start that blows them away and renders Bell’s arrival moot.
Dylan Pietsch
Of the players that were sent back to their franchises and faced the tourists so far, the wing was the most impressive. On the basis of that performance, he would have surely been in contention to face Fiji, but Schmidt has decided on having Filipo Daugunu in that bench role.
With this effectively a dress rehearsal ahead of the Lions, it appears unlikely that Pietsch is being considered for the series, which is a shame considering how impressive he was for the Western Force last weekend.
Andrew Kellaway and Corey Toole
Two more wingers who have seen their Lions chances dashed are Kellaway and Toole, who were released back to the Waratahs and Brumbies respectively earlier in the week. The former will feel particularly miffed having started every game for the Wallabies in the Autumn Nations Series last year, but he has been usurped by Harry Potter after a difficult season for the Waratahs.
However, while Kellaway’s omission is based on form, Toole’s certainly isn’t. The Brumbies wing once again enjoyed a tremendous campaign for the Canberra outfit and starred despite their play-off defeat to the Chiefs, scoring two stunning tries, but Schmidt is evidently not a fan. It is again a coach focusing on a player’s perceived weaknesses rather than what they can do on the field and, in the case of the 25-year-old, you wonder whether that is a mistake.
