The Wallabies were thrown into disarray after a late injury to first-choice flyhalf Ben Donaldson.
Scrumhalf Nick White may have to kick for posts against the Springboks in their first Rugby Championship match, at Ellis Park on Saturday, after a late injury to their first-choice flyhalf saw James O’Connor get a start with no backup No 10, or experienced goal-kicker, on the bench.
White had already been recalled to the side after retiring following the recent British & Irish Lions tour.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said he had opted for a 6–3 bench split ahead of his team announcement, but an as-yet-undetermined injury suffered by Ben Donaldson – his primary kicker in the Lions series – in training forced him to shuffle his team an hour before his scheduled press conference.
He brought O’Connor – who hasn’t played Test rugby since 2022 – into the starting XV that was otherwise unchanged from their 22–12 win over the Lions in Sydney two weeks ago. It’s a gamble with no other experienced goal-kicker in the matchday 23 (now also a 6–2 bench split).
Schmidt takes a risk
“We had James there because, if he came off the bench, he doesn’t get that many reps at training. We’ve only trained twice since arriving, so we just thought it was good for James to get that repetition and confidence after having spent three weeks with us. Because Ben had the last 50 minutes of the Lions’ third Test and had spent a lot more time with us,” Schmidt said.
“Sometimes it’s just about the balance. The way we saw it was probably playing half a game each. We just thought with Donaldson’s greater experience with us and his experience finishing the game, it was probably a better way to balance it.
Wallabies will decide after captain’s run
When asked about not having a backup flyhalf or experienced goal-kicker, the Wallabies coach said White and utility back Andrew Kellaway could play 10 if needed. Neither have ever done so professionally.
“We’ve got some versatility in our group but that is something we will look at at the captains run and see what fits best for us. Because it’s all happened in a very short space of time.
“Donno kicked the ball and pulled up short. We don’t know what the extent of the injury is. We’ve only been back from training for about an hour. He will get a scan so we will have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well, whether we need to have more cover.”
Wallabies starting XV: Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Dylan Pietsch, James O’Connor, Nic White, Harry Wilson (c), Fraser McReight, Tom Hooper, Will Skelton, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Billy Pollard, James Slipper. Bench: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Tate McDermott, Andrew Kellaway.
