Following the announcement of Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies team to face the All Blacks, we select our winners and losers.
Australia head into the first Bledisloe Cup Test of 2024 off the back of a humiliating 67-27 defeat to Argentina and Schmidt has responded to that loss making wholesale changes with several players back from injury.
The Wallabies have not won the Bledisloe Cup since 2002 and will need to claim back-to-back victories over New Zealand to get their hands on the trophy for the first time in over two decades.
The clash also doubles up as the first of two basement battles in the Rugby Championship.
Here are our winners and losers from Schmidt’s Wallabies team selected to tackle the All Blacks in the 178th encounter between the two nations.
Winners
Hunter Paisami and Fraser McReight
Two stars back from injury and they both go right back into the starting XV which only illustrates how highly they are rated by the Wallabies boss.
Hunter Paisami missed both matches against Argentina after sustaining a knee injury against the Springboks and frankly, the midfield hasn’t been the same without him. He returns to partner Len Ikitau in the midfield which is arguably been the Wallabies’ best combination this year.
Paisami will be crucial in marking the brilliant Jordie Barrett in the midfield while also bringing some much-needed grunt to the backline.
Noah Lolesio, Nic White
Noah Lolesio has been far from convincing as a whole this year but Schmidt clearly sees him as the ideal number ten in his system and after missing the Sante Fe hammering, he returns from injury to reclaim the starting role.
Fly-halves are very much confidence players and Lolesio’s return right back to the number ten jumper is a huge sign of faith from the Wallabies boss.
He is joined in the halfbacks by his ex-Brumbies teammate Nic White with Schmidt explaining that many of the players are ill with a bug after the loss to Argentina.
White is also handed the starting role as the freshest halfback having not played against the Los Pumas.
Schmidt hopes that the pair will hit the ground running and that the double halfback change does not impact the flow of their performance.
“Hopefully there’s a bit of freshness as well because Nic White didn’t play in Argentina. He was by far the freshest when we hit the ground back here in Sydney,” the Wallabies boss explained.
“The other boys had had some pretty decent minutes. I don’t think it will destabilise us. Particularly not Nic’s relationship with Noah.
“They know each other really well. I think Nic still would have played a lot more with Noah than Jake Gordon has, for example.”
James Slipper
When he trods onto the park off the bench on Saturday, James Slipper will reach a truly remarkable milestone as he becomes the Wallabies’ most-capped international.
He will better the legendary George Gregan’s cap tally of 139 having already surpassed the likes of Stephen Moore, Michael Hooper and Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Since his debut in 2010, Slipper has been one of the Wallabies’ best props for over a decade and is fully deserving of the incredible record. A titan of the front row and a brilliant professional who has managed to keep up with the times and remain a force to be reckoned adding leadership to his game during the latter stages of his career. It’s testament to his quality that he has been selected by so many Wallabies coaches.
Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Having signed a deal to return to Australia and join the Western Force, hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa will finally earn a first Test cap since 2021.
The front rower enjoyed a stunning stint in France with Montpellier winning the Top 14 title with the club and returns to bolster the Wallabies’ hooking stocks.
Paenga-Amosa was added to the squad ahead of the tour to Argentina but has had to wait until now to get his shot and what better way to mark your return than against the old foe, the All Blacks.
Harry Wilson
Harry Wilson has enjoyed a fantastic rise in stocks with the Wallabies’ coaching team after initially missing the July internationals but now skippers the team for the third straight Test match.
The number eight has always had the skillset to nail down a starting role with the Wallabies but it took injuries in the position for him to earn his chance this year. However, he has taken it with both hands and some.
Joe Schmidt
The Wallabies boss has had his squad hammered by injuries this international season but ahead of the first Test against his home country, he has received a major injury boost.
As mentioned above, Schmidt clearly holds McReight and Paisami in high regard and will be pleased to have the pair back from injury just in time for the All Blacks showdown.
Australia fell apart in the second half last time out against Los Pumas and the return of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is another bonus as too is the return of Tom Wright at fullback. New Zealand have struggled in the latter stages of Test matches this year and with all the Wallabies’ fitness boosts, they will fancy their chances of putting together a more well-rounded 80-minute performance.
All Blacks team: Scott Robertson gets timely double boost as Beauden Barrett starts for Bledisloe I
Losers
Max Jorgensen
Having made his long-awaited Test debut, Max Jorgensen drops out of the matchday 23 altogether and unfortunately for the youngster, it is purely a selection call.
Tom Wright has clearly been the best fullback this year and his return means that Andrew Kellaway shifts back to the wider role, where perhaps he has been the most lethal in rest seasons. Jorgensen may well feel hard done by with Dylan Pietsch on the bench.
Carlo Tizzano
Really there is not much more Carlo Tizzano could have done to retain his starting role. He was phenomenal even as Argentina raced away to a thumping victory.
A workhorse on defence and brilliant at the breakdown, his form had Schmidt tempted to select him and McReight as a double openside threat but the Wallabies boss admitted the other performances in the back-row were also tough to ignore.
“Carlo’s been outstanding, absolutely outstanding. I think prior to that Santa Fe Test he attempted 62 tackles and made 62 tackles in three Test matches,” said Schmidt.
“He got three turnovers in the Test match in La Plata. I think Fraser was probably outstanding before that so trying to find a place for both of them, yeah it’s something we did consider. But we also feel Harry [Wilson’s] gone really well and Rob Valetini is Rob Valetini.”
Australia have always been blessed with fantastic openside flankers but that has resulted in so many classy players being overlooked and in this case, it’s Tizzano.
Jake Gordon and Ben Donaldson
Last time out it was a game of two halves for the Wallabies and their best half was with Jake Gordon and Ben Donaldson on the park.
Unfortunately for the pair, they have both been dropped out of the matchday 23 with Schmidt explaining that the bug hit the squad.
Hamish Stewart
Paisami was always going to feature in some shape or form this weekend and Hamish Stewart is the man to make way. Like Jorgensen, Stewart waited a long time to finally make his Test debut for the Wallabies could have provided an impact from the bench but Schmidt did not feel it was a good fit for this particular match.
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