Wallabies may have already forgotten lessons learned from 2025

Despite his strong season, Joe Schmidt axed Lukhan Salakaia-Loto from his Wallabies squad on Friday.

Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt. Pic: Matt King/Getty Images

The Wallabies’ last Test might have been almost eight months ago, but it would appear that some of the lessons from the end of the miserable campaign have already been forgotten. Or, worse still, ignored.

Without some heavy timber for most of 2025, the Wallabies were crushed up front and paid the price on the scoreboard.

The Wallabies finished the year with ten defeats - the most losses the two-time world champions have ever chalked up in a calendar year.

And while they were out on their feet by the end of their marathon 15 Tests in five months, the lightweight Wallabies were found out on their end of year tour as they suffered four straight defeats to England, Italy, Ireland and France.

Months earlier, the Wallabies were smashed out of the blocks by Andy Farrell’s Lions.

It took the injection of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini in the second Test for the series to come alive.

But their early departures, coupled without the adequate firepower and aura to bring off the bench, saw the Lions come storming back into the contest as Farrell’s men chipped away. 

The pressure eventually told, with the Lions turning the screws at the set-piece and Bundee Aki eating up territory in the midfield.

One Test later, with Skelton fully fit and Tom Hooper selected at blindside flanker, the Wallabies took it to the Lions and won the physical battle in the wet. It was the only victory an Australian side had over the Lions.

More success was on the way against the Springboks, but Skelton’s absence for the majority of the rest of the 2025 campaign saw the Wallabies struggle.

Amongst the fitness concerns of Skelton, it made most question the decision to repeatedly leave Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who played like a man possessed against the Lions, out of the squad, let alone the team, all the more staggering.

Lions' Bundee Aki tackled by Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Hunter Paisami of Queensland. Pic: Dan Sheridan

The 197cm, 123kg lock eventually returned and was excellent against the All Blacks at Eden Park, but he only started one more Test for the year – the Wallabies’ win over Japan.

Nor did he feature prominently in November, coming off the bench just once against England after struggling with a rib issue he picked up against Japan.

But with Skelton out for the season, having suffered a season-ending Achilles injury for La Rochelle, most anticipated Salakaia-Loto would be back firmly in the Wallabies mix after an excellent season.

In fact, Salakaia-Loto performed so well this season that he was included in Super Rugby’s team of the year.

And while the Super Rugby team’s selection criteria – each team gave a three-two-one after every game – might be skewed, it fairly reflected the high regard his teammates had for his performances.

One of his many admirers throughout the year came from Wallabies coach-in-waiting Les Kiss, who marveled at his lock’s output, especially in the absence of Josh Canham for most of the season.

“He was a part of the leadership group and he’s stepping up every week and he’s backing it up with his actions. That’s clear,” said Kiss following the Reds’ loss to New Zealand outfit, the Blues, in Super Rugby in late April.

“I think he’s really stood up in terms of managing that tight-five mentality.” 

Despite his strong season, Schmidt axed Salakaia-Loto from his squad on Friday.

The 45-Test veteran was the biggest omission from Schmidt’s 37-man squad for next month’s Nations Championship Tests, which gets underway against Ireland in Sydney on July 4.

Salakaia-Loto wasn’t the only lock who was dropped, with Wallabies regular Nick Frost left out. Yet, given he struggled to make the Brumbies’ starting side all year, it wasn’t a surprise he missed out despite his experience, height and athleticism.

Interestingly, too, Schmidt opted for uncapped second-rowers Lachie Shaw, 23, and Miles Amatosero.

But neither Shaw, whose efficiency at the breakdown stands out, nor Amatosero, who has the hallmarks of being a top tight-head lock but at 24 is still finding his way, will scare the Irish.

In fact, little will scare Farrell’s Irish side – and that’s what makes Salakaia-Loto's omission all the more staggering because, as well-drilled as the men in green have looked, they have looked their most vulnerable against hulking packs, with serious pace out wide.

There’s no doubt the Wallabies still have some pace out wide, but it’s just whether they have the tight-five to open up the field and create space without Salakaia-Loto.

While the detail is often missing in the lock’s game and, according to Schmidt, he’s not the “fast jumping lock” the Wallabies need, when he’s in a mood, which he has been ever since being left out of Schmidt’s side for the Lions series, he’s a destructive force.

He flattens players (just ask the Blues’ Anton Siegner, or Damian McKenzie in the 2024 Bledisloe in Sydney) and teammates follow him.

Without him, Schmidt will need others to pick up the slack and put some fear into the Irish.

The issue is that those types of players, especially in Australia, don’t appear out of thin air.

It’s why Schmidt’s decision to look past Salakaia-Loto is a perplexing one.

And with Allianz Stadium already sold out, Schmidt knows the Wallabies can’t afford to fluff their lines.

“People are going to have an expectation, and we'll share that expectation that we're going to be really competitive, and we need to start getting some wins on the board. So we're very cognisant of that,” he said on Friday.

“At the same time, I'm just aware in the back of my mind that I was brought here to do a job to kind of be competitive against the Lions and to set Australia up for the best World Cup they can possibly have.

“And I do believe that we can get that into a really positive position with what we deliver in the next three weeks.” Time will tell.