MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (AP) – Joe Schmidt couldn’t gamble on Liam Wright’s fitness for Saturday’s second test after the rookie skipper was injured in Australia’s series-opening win over Wales.
The veteran coach has only been working with the inexperienced Wallabies test lineup for a couple of weeks, so he decided for the sake of clarity he’d sideline Wright and go to 135-test veteran prop James Slipper to lead the squad.
Australia won the series opener 25-16 but lost first-time captain Wright to a shoulder injury late in the game. It didn’t heal in time to be ready for selection.
“Post-match, we thought progress would be quick but once he wasn’t fully fit to be named for training on Tuesday, better to give certainty to the guys who are going to be there,” Schmidt said.
Charlie Cale, the 23-year-old Brumbies backrower, was given his starting debut at No 8, moving Rob Valetini from the back to the side of the scrum to cover for Wright.
The remainder of the starting forward pack and backline was unchanged but Schmidt made multiple changes on the bench, including a potential debut for Queensland hooker Josh Nasser, son of 1991 World Cup-winner Brendan Nasser.
“It’s one of the things that we want to demonstrate — that we’re a squad-orientated group,” Schmidt said.
Wales coach Warren Gatland made two injury-enforced changes and two positional changes as his team bids for a drought-breaking, series-levelling victory.
No 8 Aaron Wainwright and winger Josh Hathaway were ruled out after sustaining hamstring and elbow injuries in Sydney last weekend.
Gatland moved Liam Williams from fullback to wing and recalled Cameron Winnett at No 15.
Taine Plumtree shifted from the blindside flank to No 8 to replace Wainwright, with James Botham — grandson of legendary cricketer Ian Botham — coming into the starting backrow and Mackenzie Martin called up for the bench.
“We’ve been going through our processes, building on what worked well and sharpening the areas that need improvement,” Gatland said. “We expect Australia to go up another level this weekend and we know we need to as well.
“We want to start well and make sure we are disciplined and accurate. Then it’s about keeping in the arm-wrestle for the duration.”
Wainwright had been in doubt since injuring his hamstring late in the opening test, when the 50-test veteran was among the leaders for the Welsh team with his high work rate and impact with the ball.
Hathaway’s elbow injury didn’t recover in time for the test, although Liam Williams and prop Gareth Thomas overcame injuries to take their starting places as Wales pushes to end an eight-test losing streak.
The Welsh haven’t won a test since the group stage of the Rugby World Cup last year — which included a lopsided win over Australia — and haven’t beaten the Wallabies in 12 tests in Australia since 1969.
Gatland and his team are desperate to avoid the Welsh record of 10 consecutive defeats after a bleak Six Nations campaign.
“It is an important game,” assistant coach Rob Howley said. “There is huge disappointment and frustration within the camp. We want to give the best version of ourselves.
“I thought we really did well to come back into the game (first test) at 18-16. We can talk about the experience and the learning, of course we can, but we need to start winning test matches.”
Slipper will be standing in as Wallabies captain for the 15th time, including 10 times in 2022.
“He’ll do a great job,” said Schmidt, who took over as head coach after Eddie Jones’ tumultuous tenure ended in January. “Fantastic experience. It’s that quiet leadership we need. That quiet resolve he brings to his work will hopefully ripple through the team.”
