No Will Skelton for Wallabies as Champion de Crespigny gets surprise debut
Nick Champion de Crespigny poses for a photo after the Wallabies squad announcement. Pic: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Joe Schmidt will be without key forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini for Australia’s series-opening Test against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday while handing a first international start to 22-year-old fly-half Tom Lynagh on home turf at Suncorp Stadium.
Former Ireland boss Schmidt goes head to head with his former defence coach and successor to the Irish head coach role Andy Farrell when the Wallabies host the Lions for the first time in 12 years in Brisbane this weekend. Yet Australia’s underdog tag for this series has been consolidated with this latest injury blow.
Both La Rochelle lock Skelton and Brumbies back rower Valetini have failed to recover from calf strains and will not be risked for the first Test while the Wallabies ready-made stand-in Langi Gleeson is also injured.
Schmidt on Thursday expressed his confidence in the duo being available for the second Test with the Lions in Melbourne on Saturday week but backed Nick Champion de Crespigny, Valetini’s replacement at blindside flanker, to rise to the occasion on his Test debut.
Describing Skelton and Valetini as “right on the edge” of passing fit to face the Lions on Saturday, Schmidt said: “If it was the last game of the series, I think they would have been in the mix. But the risk you take if you put those guys out there and they're not quite ready and you try to push them through, you might end up worse off.
“I wouldn't say we're taking a long-term view with them, but we just felt it was the most judicious decision at the time.
“Bobby has been a very regular starter for us and a big player for us. Those are the things that do happen. I thought Langi went well against the Fijians. Again, Langi, he was on the cusp as well. He's just got a little bit of a cork (dead leg).
“And so it's a great opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny, who's trained well, had a good Super Rugby season and is very excited about the opportunity he has.”
Lynagh’s elevation to a starting 10 makes him the first player to follow in their father’s footsteps in playing against the Lions after his father Michael started all three Tests at fly-half against the Lions in 1989.
Queensland Red Lynagh, whose older brother Louis plays for Italy, their mother’s home country, has been paired up with an experienced scrum-half Jake Gordon as Australia come to terms with the neck injury sustained by first-choice Noah Lolesio in the narrow win over Fiji two weeks ago.
The Australian head coach said he was quietly confident that the inexperienced playmaker would step up to the challenge of facing the Lions in his first start for the Wallabies with just three caps prior to this.
“I'm really excited for Tom,” Schmidt said. “He's a great kid. He's got a quiet confidence about him. You wouldn't think that he's necessarily designed to run a game and dictate what's happening, but he does have a quiet confidence that gives us a quiet confidence as well.
“And he's fitted in really well this week. He has given us the confidence, and the players the confidence, that he's going to run the game really well for us. His kicking game is strong. He's got good acceleration and he's incredibly brave to a fault.
“It's Suncorp. It's his home track. It's a fantastic opportunity for him. We twice had him lined up for his first start for the Wallabies last year and he picked up little niggles. So it's great this time.
“Probably not ideal to be starting your first Test match for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions, but you've got to start somewhere and if not now, when. So now is good.” Schmidt said the injuries in key positions had not rattled the Australian camp.
“I'd be pretty pragmatic about that and I'd hope that the team are as well. We try not to base our whole game around any individual, that we share the load.
“We share the excitement of the opportunity and I think those things are still shared across the group, and they're excited about the opportunity. I'd like to think that we can still go out, probably sharing Tom Lynagh's quiet confidence that we can put a game together that at least can keep the British and Irish Lions pretty honest on the day.”
Australia have also moved to bolster their bench to combat Lions’ firepower in reserve with first-choice loosehead, Ulster-bound Angus Bell giving up the starting role to the Wallabies record appearance maker James Slipper.
The veteran front-rower will earn his 145th Test cap in Brisbane on Saturday, becoming only the second Australian, after George Smith (2001 & 2013) to face the tourists in back-to-back Lions Series in the professional era having featured in the 2-1 series defeat a dozen years ago.
“I think Slips has had a really good season,” Schmidt said. “And I do think that we're going to need something off the bench for sure.
“And Belly, I think he will give us real energy and real bite off the bench. So if he fulfils that role this week, it may not be the same next week. I do think we've got two guys who can fill that number one jersey really well.”
T Wright; M Jorgensen, J-A Suaalii, L Ikitau, H Potter; T Lynagh, J Gordon; J Slipper, M Faessler, A Alaalatoa; N Frost, J Williams; N Champion de Crespigny, F McReight, H Wilson - captain.
B Pollard, A Bell, T Robertson, T Hooper, C Tizzano, T McDermott, B Donaldson, A Kellaway.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
