White dropped for second Bledisloe clash, Koroibete future clouded

The international future of Marika Koroibete has grown clouded after Wallabies star was ruled out of the second Bledisloe Cup clash with injury, and coach Joe Schmidt sidestepped a question on whether he might have dropped the flying winger anyway.

Koroibete was ruled out of the Wallabies team to take on the All Blacks on Saturday after suffering a wrist injury in Australia’s 31-28 loss at Accor Stadium. Schmidt said the injury flared up on the trip to New Zealand, and a decision was made to give Dylan Pietsch a start instead.

The wing change was one of only a handful made by Schmidt in an otherwise settled side, with halfback Nic White replaced by Jake Gordon and, just a week after playing a record 140th Test, prop James Slipper dropped from the bench to make way for youngster Isaac Kailea.

The Wallabies named a rare unchanged forward pack, with Schmidt resisting the urge to promote star bench performers from the Sydney game like Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who helped spark a dramatic comeback at Accor Stadium.

Though White’s chirping had earned the ire of the referee during the narrow defeat, Schmidt was quick to stress he’d been happy with the feisty No.9 and he had not “been dumped”. With a strong three-man rotation at halfback, Gordon was recalled as the freshest option, Schmidt said.

The Wallabies coach was more equivocal when it came to Koroibete, however, after the veteran winger turned in an uncharacteristically poor performance in Sydney, where he dropped several passes in attack.

Schmidt revealed the 32-year-old flyer had suffered a wrist injury at Accor Stadium which, he said, was a likely contributing factor to the basic handling errors.

“I wouldn’t put too much stock by that,” Schmidt said. “[The injury] wasn’t too bad post-game [but the] morning after was pretty uncomfortable and swelled up on the flight across. We have had it scanned and there’s no serious damage, but it’s still quite inflamed, quite uncomfortable and he’s not ready to play.

“If he’s not right today, it’s a risk for the weekend. Dylan Pietsch had done well coming off the bench. So, we’ve got confidence in the squad and we’re trying to grow the squad and grow the depth.”

Asked if he might have dropped Koroibete if he’d not been injured, Schmidt said: “It’s a moot question really because we hadn’t had to come to that decision. It was in a state of flux anyway with the wrist injury, and he was ruled out today, so it became a moot point.”

Marika Koroibete charging for the Wallabies in Sydney.Credit: Getty Images

It was not exactly damnation from the coach, but nor was it a defence. And with the winger’s involvement on the spring tour yet to be determined, questions have been raised around whether the two-time John Eales medallist has done enough to lock in a spot for the British and Irish Lions series next year. By his own incredibly high standards, Koroibete has not been the same dominant figure in this year’s Rugby Championship.

Koroibete did not go on the spring tour in 2022, and returned to his Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. He also withdrew from the tour in 2021 during COVID due to the birth of a child. Schmidt said he would be talking with Koroibete and the Wild Knights next month about whether he would go on the spring tour this year.

Schmidt elected to keep big lock Salakaia-Loto on the bench for the Wellington clash, despite making a strong claim to start with an impressive performance from the bench in the second half in Sydney. Nick Frost and the industrious Jeremy Williams will start in the second row.

As seen with his decision to also keep Tate McDermott on the bench, Schmidt said he’d opted to keep Salakaia-Loto as an impact player in the second half.

Ben Donaldson has been recalled to the bench as the reserve playmaker, with Tom Lynagh dropping out due to a niggly hamstring injury. With Max Jorgensen having flown home earlier in the week after failing to overcome a virus picked up in Argentina, Josh Flook took Pietsch’s spot on the bench.

White was busy in Sydney but also drew the ire of the referee Karl Dickson for his constant chat, which even forced the whistleblower to admonish White at one point.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson also named his side for the Wellington clash, and recalled several veterans to the starting team in the form of Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara in the halves, and with Anton Lienert-Brown replacing the injured Jordie Barrett at No.12.

Flanker Sam Cane will become the 13th All Black to play 100 Tests for New Zealand.

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