Will Skelton remains in frame for a Wallabies recall despite missing out on another national squad

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is open to giving a former Australian captain another chance, but just not yet.

Will Skelton remains part of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt’s long-term plans despite missing out on Australia’s squad to play South Africa. Picture: Phill Magakoe/ AFP

A “complicated” international window worked against France-based lock Will Skelton when it came to selection of the Wallabies squad for the two upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against South Africa.

Powerful winger Marika Koroibete, who plays in club rugby in Japan, was the only overseas-based player named in Australia’s 36-man squad for the two matches against the Springboks, the first of which takes place at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

Despite having captained the Wallabies last year under then coach Eddie Jones, Skelton is yet to be called on by current national team mentor Joe Schmidt.

There is still no place in the Australian squad for Will Skelton. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

However, Schmidt hasn’t closed the door on recalling Skelton later in the Rugby Championship or for the Spring Tour of Europe.

“It’s all quite open-ended at the moment and they (the overseas-based players) have been really supportive of the young guys that we’ve brought in, locally based, and also willing to step in should we feel that that’s the best decision for the team,” Schmidt said.

“There are also the complications of getting (Skelton) back from France and then getting him back up to France because this window is complicated.

“It’s not a normal Test window in the northern hemisphere, so it just becomes a little bit complicated from that perspective.

“As good a player as Will is with the experience he has, if he arrives here and he’s fatigued and he goes back there and he’s fatigued, and we’re trying to get him backwards and forwards, it’s not necessarily going to add the amount of value we’d like it to add.”

Admin dapping up the fellas 🤝 #Wallabiespic.twitter.com/nC25ZR4yUE

— Wallabies (@wallabies) August 4, 2024

However, one addition to the squad tipped to “add value” is versatile Queensland Reds forward Seru Uru, whose hopes of being chosen for the Wallabies’ Tests last month against Wales and Georgia were marred by a broken thumb that compromised his Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

“We really liked Seru early in the season. We thought he was going really well and then he had that thumb issue, and he came back and only got the tail-end of the season,” Schmidt said.

“We just didn’t feel that he had the same level, and even talking to Seru, he felt he was a little bit off, but he’s had the chance to have a couple of games with the Reds against Wales and Tonga and looked somewhere where he needed to be.”

Injuries that have ruled out flankers Liam Wright and Fraser McReight also helped Uru’s selection chances.

“With Liam Wright and Fraser McReight both coming out, there was a little bit of space for Seru to come in and potentially be a bit of an all-purpose player for us,” Schmidt said.