Continuity the key as Schmidt sticks with trusted Wallaby troops for Lions

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said selectors erred on the side of continuity when picking a 36-man squad ahead of the British and Irish Lions series, with just two bolters named in a settled group of players who mostly featured for the Wallabies last year.

Brumbies speedster Corey Toole and Force hardman Nick Champion de Crespigny were the only two uncapped players in Schmidt’s initial squad, which was named to prepare for a Test against Fiji on July 6 but will also form the majority of the squad for the three-Test series against the Lions thereafter.

The Brumbies had the most players selected with ten, followed by the Western Force (9) and Waratahs and Reds, who both had eight.

France-based lock Will Skelton was the only offshore player selected under the Giteau Law, with Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Bernard Foley and James O’Connor all overlooked.

Schmidt threw his faith, instead, into Australian-based players, and primarily those who were in his spring tour squad last year.

There were several new faces in the form of Toole, the electric Brumbies winger, and hard-hitting back-rower De Crespigny – the 28-year-old journeyman from Canberra who played for Sydney Uni and then Castres in France, before returning to join the Western Force this year.

Both have been rewarded for strong Super Rugby Pacific seasons, as were Force lock Darcy Swain and Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki, who both won recalls to the Wallabies after absences since 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Veteran prop James Slipper can become only the second Wallabies player after George Smith to play in two Test series against the Lions since the 12-year cycle began in 1989.

Taniela Tupou was named despite speculation he may miss out, following a poor season for the Waratahs.

But Reds lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto led the list of notable omissions, along with hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, back-rower Seru Uru and five-eighth Tane Edmed, who all went on the spring tour last year but, for varying reasons, struggled for consistent game time this year.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt speaks to Jake Gordon.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Schmidt indicated those players could still earn their way into the Wallabies’ squad based on their performance against the Lions in tour games.

Rob Leota also missed out after being injured last year but other players heading overseas next year weren’t penalised, with Tom Hooper, Langi Gleeson and Noah Lolesio all picked.

When weighing up difficult decisions, Schmidt said the touchstone was keeping continuity from last year, given the growth of the team and the short lead-up to the Lions series.

“It was an anchoring point for us,” Schmidt said. “We’d invested all that time, and those guys were investing time back, and so I think that’s definitely part of it. Because, I don’t know globally, but I felt like we were making progress with the individuals building their game and being more confident and then the collective becoming more competitive. So we wanted continuity there.”

Nick Champion de Crespigny of the Force is tackled against the Waratahs.Credit: Getty Images

Schmidt said he had not decided who would lead the Wallabies on the field against Fiji and the Lions, keeping the door open for a change from incumbent Harry Wilson.

“Some of the guys who led for us last year have got niggles or are coming back from injury and are only just back on deck,” he said.

“Do we want them to shoulder the responsibility of leadership or just focus on their own game and get as much of what they can deliver right in what they’re doing? Or do we want them to lead the team and slightly dilute their own focus on their own game? That’s the balance that we’ll even talk to them about.”

The Wallabies’ media conference was held at Stanmore Public School, the alma mater of Jake Gordon, but despite recent speculation he’d be the new captain, the bemused halfback said he hadn’t been told about that plan.

Schmidt gave his first indication of potential first-choice Wallabies side by identifying five Western Force players who will not gather in Sydney on Sunday, and instead stay in Perth to play for the Force against the Lions on June 28: De Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Swain and Nic White.

That points to Jeremy Williams, Harry Potter and Carlo Tizzano being among a group of 23-25 players Schmidt intends to “quarantine” ahead of the Fiji Test, and Lions series.

Schmidt said he’d given strong consideration to bringing in the experience of O’Connor and/or Foley, but had elected to keep faith with Lolesio, Donaldson and Lynagh.

“We’ve invested in three guys in that 10 spot. We felt trying to balance things up, we’re going to keep investing in those guys,” he said.

“We saw all three of them make improvements to their game, increase their own confidence to drive the game and to communicate the game to other players. We didn’t want to interrupt that.“