Nic White to retire as Wallabies name team for third and final Test against the Lions, tourists also name their side
A key Wallaby has been ruled out of the third Test against the British & Irish Lions and will miss Nic White’s farewell to international rugby.
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The Wallabies have suffered a last-minute blow ahead of the third Test against the British & Irish Lions, with hooker Dave Porecki ruled out with injury.
Billy Pollard will start, and Brandon Paenga-Amosa comes on to the bench for his first Test of the year.
Pollard was originally scheduled to miss this match in Sydney, but Matt Faessler also suffered injury, leading to Pollard’s inclusion on the bench when the Wallabies officially unveiled their team on Thursday afternoon.
But soon after, it became apparent that Porecki would also not be fit to play, leading to the late call-up of Paenga-Amosa, who last played for Australia in the November spring tour.
But remarkably, this will be Paenga-Amosa’s fourth match against the Lions, having already faced them for the Western Force, AUNZ Invitational, and First Nations & Pasifika sides.
Already without frontline stars Rob Valetini and Allan Alaalatoa, the loss of Porecki is another huge loss for Australia’s forward pack.
Having lost the series 2-0 already, the Wallabies will be desperate to claim a win in Sydney to avoid a whitewash.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt revealed that the heartbreaking last-minute loss to the Lions in Melbourne had taken a toll on his players.
“Incredibly deflated group, Tuesday was tough, actually, to get them up off the canvas,” Schmidt said on Thursday.
“Today, there was a little bit of an upswing, and we’ve just got to keep that momentum.
“Hopefully, they can be sharp at captain’s run tomorrow, and then springboard their way into the Test match.
“It is a challenge, because all that emotional energy, psychological energy that was expended, the way things finished, the sense of frustration, and it’s almost like a grieving process by the time they’ve gone through those first few days, and giving them time to breathe a bit, and then try to elevate the spirits and the tempo.”
Taniela Tupou starts in place of Alaalatoa in the front row.
“We saw him in the First Nations Pasifika game, I thought he really worked hard there and he’s trained well, so we’re hopeful that Taniela can continue that upswing and bring us a real burst of energy,” Schmidt said.
“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 I described.”
VETERAN WHITE TO RETIRE, WALLABIES NAME THIRD TEST SIDE
Nic White will start for Australia in his final Test match, while Taniela Tupou starts in his first international of the year for the Wallabies against the Lions on Saturday.
The Wallabies have confirmed they’ll use White at No. 9 in his retirement match, while Tupou replaces injured prop Allan Alaalatoa in the starting side.
Tom Hooper comes in for the injured Rob Valetini in the backrow, and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has reverted to a 5-3 split on the bench with Andrew Kellaway coming back in, while Carlo Tizzano misses out.
Dylan Pietsch replaces the injured Harry Potter on the left wing with whe Wiradjuri man set to play for the first time in the special edition Wallabies jersey he designed for this year’s Lions Series. He’ll join 20-year-old Max Jorgensen, who will play his first Test in his hometown, and Tom Wright in the back three.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said: “The squad was certainly deflated after the gut-wrenching end to last week’s Test in Melbourne, but they have started to gather momentum in the back half of the week and will be ready to go again on Saturday.”
“The support in Brisbane and Melbourne helped to lift the squad, and I know the support this weekend in Accor Stadium, will again help to lift the players in the high-pressure moments that we know are coming.”
Lindfield Junior Billy Pollard has been named as the replacement hooker and will combine with Angus Bell and Zane Nonggorr in the substitute front row.
Western Force skipper Jeremy Williams is the lock cover with Langi Gleeson selected as the back row replacement.
Tate McDermott, after coping incredibly well on the wing last week, will again bring energy off the bench, along with Ben Donaldson and Andrew Kellaway who round out the match day 23.
VETERAN NO. 9 TO RETIRE
Nic White has confirmed he will retire from Test rugby after Saturday’s Test against the British & Irish Lions, and hang up the boots altogether at the end of this year.
The Wallabies halfback is expected to start against the Lions in the Sydney finale to the Lions series, in what will be his farewell from the international arena.
“Pulling on the gold jersey was a dream of mine when I was a young boy in Scone and to say I’ve done it 72 times, with one last crack on Saturday night, is something I’m incredibly proud of and a privilege I’ve never taken for granted,” White said.
“Rugby has given me so much to be grateful for. I’ve made some incredible memories, some lifelong friendships and had the opportunity to see the world.
“There’s been great competition for the nine jersey here in the Wallabies for a number of years and it feels like the right time to pass on the baton with some more good young players coming through who will need time in the saddle leading into what’s going to be an unbelievable experience of a home Rugby World Cup in 2027.
“In the meantime, I’ll keep working hard with the Western Force, who have been an incredible support for me and my family since we moved west nearly two years ago.
“Hanging up the boots for good at the end of the year will also allow me to spend more time with my wife Mel and three boys Leo, Sonny and Vinnie – which is something I’m massively looking forward to.
“There’s plenty of others who I owe a drink to for their support during my career, and I look forward to repaying that tab at the Maitland Blacks clubhouse, Assembly in Canberra or the Brisbane Hotel after a Force game in Perth.”
Wallabies Head Coach Joe Schmidt said: “First and foremost Nic is a great man to have in a squad. He’s team first all the time and has been at the top of the game for over a decade.
“Having coached against Whitey, and now worked with him in the Wallabies environment, he’s the ultimate competitor.
“I know how much pulling on the gold jersey means to him and on behalf of the current group we wish him and his family all the best for the next chapter.”
White will train with Western Force and potentially play in the Super Rugby Australia competition between the four Aussie teams later this year, before departing the game.
LIONS SERIOUS ABOUT WHITEWASH
The British & Irish Lions won’t be showing any mercy to the Wallabies in Saturday’s final Test because they want to carve out their own piece of history.
The tourists have already clinched the series after winning the first two matches in Brisbane and Melbourne but are desperate to win this weekend’s final game at Accor Stadium to complete a 3-0 series whitewash.
“As you could imagine, it would mean the world to us,” the Lions’ head coach Andy Farrell said.
“It’s something that we promised ourselves that we were going to chase after and try our best to represent the group as best we possibly can.
“What goes along with that is representing the jersey and the brand of the British and Irish Lions so we’ve a big responsibility this weekend.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about from day one, and again, we’ve put ourselves in a position to put that on the line. So, that’s why it means so much to us.”
To achieve that, the Lions have named close to an unchanged team for Saturday.
Farrell made just two changes to the powerful Lions side that mauled the Wallabies 29-26 at the Melbourne Cricket last week, clinching the series with a controversial last-minute try.
Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn will start on the left wing after coming off the bench last weekend. He replaced James Lowe, who was dropped from the squad altogether as Farrell added an extra forward to his bench.
Ireland’s James Ryan was promoted to starting lock after coming on as a reserve last week. He comes in at the expense of Englishmen Ollie Chessum, who remains one of the substitutes.
“It’s obviously nice coming on the back of a victory like the one at the MCG,” Farrell said.
“Having said that, it’s been a great week as far as recovering, reflecting, but when we came back into work on Tuesday afternoon, the process has been exactly the same and we’ve put ourselves in a position now that we’re fortunate enough to go into the Third test and a lot to play for.”
Loose forward Ben Earl rejoined the 23 man squad after missing the second Test as Farrell opted for a 6-2 split on the bench. The Lions’ only reserve backs after Alex Mitchell and Owen Farrell, the coach’s son.
The starting team features nine Irishmen, three Englishmen and three Scots while the two Aussie-born Lions, Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipuloto were both left out.
The only Welshman in the matchday 23-man squad was reserve backrower Jac Morgan, whose contentious cleanout in the last minute of the MCG Test provoked a war of words after it went unpenalised.
The Wallabies’ coach Joe Schmidt was livid that Morgan’s hit on Carlo Tizzano did not incur a penalty that would have given Australia victory and ensured Saturday’s clash at Accor Stadium was a series decider instead of a dead rubber.
The Lions have made no secret of the fact they want to complete their first 3-0 series whitewash against the Wallabies since 1904. They are odds-on to do that but Farrell is expecting a different Wallabies’ performance this weekend.
“A better one than the one that showed up in the second Test,” he said.
“That’s what they’ll be expecting of themselves and it’s exactly the same thing that we’ll be thinking of for our performance as well.”
Asked how he wanted his team to be remembered, Farrell said: “Hopefully for the type of rugby that we played and the way that we went about it together.
“We came here wanting to win a series. We’ve achieved that, but we’ve a massive responsibility to make sure that we uh finish this off with something that we promised ourselves with.
“It’s a big ask, but it’s something that we’re determined to do.”
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