As part of their deals, Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper are off to Exeter this week and won’t be eligible for selection for the Wallabies until November. Nor will Will Skelton, given it’s not in the regulation 9 window. Fraser McReight also picked up an ankle injury in Perth in the second Bledisloe Cup clash with New Zealand.
Those absences would see the lightly used Carlo Tizzano, Hunter Paisami, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Rob Valetini step into the side reasonably seamlessly.
What is a pass mark for this spring tour?
This time last year, most thought Wallabies’ wins over Wales and Scotland – and two from four games on tour – would be a pass mark. Then they beat England at Twickenham, and the scope of possibility – and expectation – for Schmidt’s team changed dramatically.
A year on, with wins over the Lions and South Africa under the belt, and some strong Rugby Championship performances, the goalposts have shifted. Victory over England, again at Twickenham, is attainable, and beating Italy is expected.
Ireland and France away are tough tasks, but the Wallabies have lost by four points or fewer in their past three trips to Dublin, and setting aside the World Cup year, Australia generally front up well at Stade de France. They went down 30-29 in 2022 , a week before the Italy loss.
Three wins from five on tour, then, is not out of the equation.
But, critically, the Wallabies need to claim at least one win against the teams ranked above them – England, France and Ireland – to finish the year sixth or higher, and get a top seeding at the 2027 World Cup. That should help them avoid stronger teams until deep in the tournament.
Australia are ranked seventh and Argentina are sixth, and there is very little between them.
Is Tom Lynagh or Tane Edmed the man for 2027?
In the end, it boils down to this basic question. With Noah Lolesio not only out of action indefinitely due to a serious neck injury, but playing in Japan next year if he gets back, the two men in the frame to be the starting five-eighth at the World Cp are Lynagh and Edmed. James O’Connor is 35 and would be a bench role player, if he makes it to 2027, and Ben Donaldson appears out of favour.
Edmed and Lynagh are tough defenders and good kickers, but neither are anywhere close to being the finished product. Edmed is a louder voice and more willing to attack a game, but he is prone to errors. Lynagh potentially has a bigger ceiling than Edmed talent-wise, but he is prone to injury and missing long stretches.
So, as he did with Lolesio, Schmidt will want to pick and stick with one guy; to push all his chips in on one.
But which one?
Who is Australia’s third halfback now?
The retirement of Nic White and Tate McDermott’s long-term injury mean there is a vacancy for the third halfback spot behind Jake Gordon and Ryan Lonergan.
Teddy Wilson kicks against the Lions in July. Is he an option for the spring tour?Credit: AP
And given Issak Fines-Leleiwasa is moving from the Force to the Fijian Drua, and is aiming to play Test rugby for Fiji also, the two candidates look to be Kalani Thomas and Teddy Wilson.
Thomas, from the Reds, has his nose in front after playing for the AUNZ and First Nations-Pasifika sides against the Lions, and being in camp with the Wallabies in Perth last week. But while an exciting athlete, Thomas’ passing in the Lions tour games often looked slow.
Wilson, a former Junior Wallabies skipper, has a strong running and defensive game. Stuck behind Gordon at the Waratahs, Wilson was asked to sharpen up his passing and kicking games, and NSW types say he has done that in spades. He is a rare left-footed kicker, too.
Many consider Wilson to be a future Wallaby. Should that timeframe to fast-tracked to now?
Can the Wallabies get more from Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii?
Counter to expectations before he jumped from the NRL, Suaallii has shown himself to be comfortable in defence in rugby, but is still not quite in sync with attack in the 15-man game.
Loading
Part of that is due to the attacking systems the Wallabies are using, where patience is required for him to see the ball in any sort of space.
But there are signs Suaalii is roaming more and being used as an aerial weapon, and that’s a great sign. If we think all the way back to Twickenham last year, Suaalii stamped himself on the game with a combination of midfield running and offloading, and by contesting kicks.
If there is no appetite to give Suaalii time at fullback, the Wallabies have to come up with ways that can get much, much more from his obvious talent.
AloJapan.com