Bledisloe Cup 2020: Wallabies suffer more injury pain
Australia’s humiliating Bledisloe Cup loss has been compounded with Wallabies set to lose another key man ahead of the final showdown against the All Blacks.
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Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is unlikely to play in the fourth and final Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks on Saturday because of an ankle injury, with Brumbies second-rower Cadeyrn Neville brought in as injury cover.
Salakaia-Loto fell awkwardly in a tackle shortly after halftime in Bledisloe III in Sydney last weekend and though he attempted to continue, he quickly realised it was impossible. Team officials have not yet ruled him out of Saturday’s dead rubber but they do not seem overly optimistic of him playing.
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Neville was an unlucky omission from the original squad and for long periods of the season — certainly during the seven round that Super Rugby was possible — he looked a certain starter in the Test side.
There has been no move to bring in any players from outside the squad to help remedy Australia’s midfield problems caused by Matt To'omua’s groin injury which seemingly points to Dave Rennie finding a solution from within his existing squad.
Meanwhile, halfback Tate McDermott is desperate for another crack at the All Blacks after a bittersweet Test debut in Sydney.
The 22-year-old was a second-half replacement for Nic White in the Wallabies’ embarrassing 43-5 weekend loss to New Zealand at ANZ Stadium.
New Zealand’s record win over Australia sealed them the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year, but McDermott is treating Saturday night’s clash between the teams at Suncorp Stadium as anything but a dead rubber.
“I’m not sure if I’m playing but if I was to be selected it would be unreal ... I’m going to be buzzing,” McDermott said.
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“I’ve got my whole family up there ... it’s going to be an awesome night for a anyone involved, particularly if you’re a Queenslander.”
McDermott said he had fulfilled his childhood dream by playing against the All Blacks, but the result was more of a nightmare.
“I wasn’t happy with it based on how everything ended up in the end,” he said.
“I’m not going to come out and say I had a blinder because I didn’t.
“It was a good start for me just because I got a few touches on the ball, but we’ve got a lot to work on as a team.
“There are quite a few lessons I learnt just from the 20 minutes I was out there.”
- with Marco Monteverde