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The Wallabies selection woes continue this week, with Allan Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini ruled out of the final. Now first-choice hooker Dave Porecki will be ruled out, despite being named in the starting side. It means that Billy Pollard will likely be promoted to the no.2 jersey, with Brandon Paenga-Amosa drafted onto the bench.
Pride and redemption are on the line for the Wallabies in the final Test against the British & Irish Lions in Sydney, as Joe Schmidt has shaken up his starting side. A combination of injuries and squad rotation has seen Taniela Tupou, Tom Hooper, Nic White and Dylan Pietsch come into the run-on side.
Schmidt has also moved away from the 6-2 bench split we saw last week, opting instead for a more traditional 5-3 combination. Zane Nonggorr and Andrew Kellaway have been named among the reserves, bringing fresh energy and versatility to the side.
The most notable headline this week is Schmidt’s decision to promote veteran scrum-half Nic White straight into the starting team to replace Jake Gordon. White, 34, simultaneously announced his retirement from international rugby, meaning this could be his final Test in the gold jersey.
“It’s all happened pretty quickly, to be honest,” said White of his decision to retire. “Just in the last week and a half, two weeks, after a couple of honest conversations with myself and some close people, it just feels like now’s the right time to finish up at the end of this year.”
Given it could be his final appearance for Australia, White said he’s prepared to soak in the moment and enjoy the occasion.
“I’m so excited - pretty pumped to be out there. It’s very rare to be in a position to go out on your own terms, and I want to make the most of that.”
White’s sudden inclusion has surprised many, but Schmidt was quick to justify the selection, pointing to White’s leadership, experience, and ability to control a match with his kicking game.
“I think Whitey has such massive respect inside the squad that it seemed a fitting way for him to finish. I’m not a sentimentalist—it’s a Test match, and you pick people who are capable of playing that Test match. We believe that Nick is.”
Another fresh face in the XV is versatile winger Dylan Pietsch, who has come from outside the squad to replace the injured Harry Potter. Potter tweaked his hamstring early in the first half of the second Test and was ruled out.
Pietsch, who is an Indigenous Australian, was notably omitted from the First Nations & Pasifika XV earlier in the tour, but now gets his chance to face the Lions on one of the biggest stages in Australian rugby.
Getting up for the third and final Test will be a huge ask for this Wallabies squad, particularly after the heartbreak of losing the series in such dramatic fashion. The emotional toll has been evident throughout the camp.
“It is a challenge because all that emotional energy, psychological energy that was expended. The way things finished, the sense of frustration, it's almost like a grieving process by the time they've gone through those first few days,” Schmidt said.
To reset the energy, Schmidt is hoping that a few fresh faces in the team can provide a circuit breaker.
“One of the reasons we've made a few changes is that when everyone's as flat as they were, I think just bringing a few newer guys in, it just freshens things up and those guys know it's an opportunity for them. I suppose it's just a way to shift the malaise that continued for the 48 hours post-game to try to get that upswing.”
The Wallabies will need every bit of that energy as they attempt to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash.
Saturday’s clash at Accor Stadium is officially sold out, with more than 83,000 spectators expected to roar the Wallabies home in what promises to be an emotional and high-stakes finale.
Australia Starting XV (1-15) James Slipper, Billy Pollard, Taniela Tupou, Nick Frost, Will Skelton, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Nic White, Tom Lynagh, Dylan Pietsch, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, Tom Wright
Australia Replacements (16-23) Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway