The pair have been ruled out of the opening Test in Brisbane in a huge injury blow
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt expects Will Skelton and Rob Valetini to be fit for the second Test against the British and Irish Lions after the pair were ruled out of the opening encounter in a huge double injury blow.
Blindside flanker Valetini and lock Skelton are both nursing calf issues and have not managed to make the Wallabies’ 23 for the first Test in Brisbane.
Valetini has been a standout for Australia over the last two years amid fluctuations in the side’s form, while the absence of hulking second row Skelton is significant
To compound matters, Langi Gleeson - Valetini’s likely replacement in the No 6 shirt - has also been ruled out, forcing Schmidt to select a debutant in Nick Champion de Crespigny alongside Fraser McReight and captain Harry Wilson in the back row.
Confirming that Skelton and Valetini would have featured had this been a Test decider, Schmidt nonetheless admitted that their unavailability was significant news.
“They were right on the edge, to be honest,” Schmidt conceded. “If it was the last game of the series, they would have been in the mix. We just felt it was the most judicious decision at the time.
“It’s funny, you put a training team together and all the guys are looking, ‘am I in [Valetini]’s team?’, to see if they might get a chance of starting. Bobby has been a very regular starter for us and a big player for us. Those are the things that happen. Langi [Gleeson] went well against the Fijians, and he was on the cusp as well. It is a great opportunity for Nic Champion de Crespigny, who has trained well and had a good Super Rugby season.
“I’ve been pretty pragmatic about [the injuries], and I hope that the team are as well. We try not to base our whole game around any individual, we share the load and we share the excitement about the opportunity. I think that those things are still shared within the group. I’d like to think that we can still go out that we can put a game together that can keep the British and Irish Lions honest on the day.”
The injuries to Skelton and Valetini continued a far from serene build-up to the three Tests for the hosts, with first-choice fly half Noah Lolesio ruled out of the series after undergoing neck surgery.
Youngster Tom Lynagh, son of Wallabies legend Michael, is therefore given a huge opportunity at fly half, with the 22-year-old set to make his first Test start.
Schmidt expressed his confidence in Lynagh, though has not spoken to his father about him ahead of the first Test.
“I'm confident in him,” the Wallabies head coach said. “It's a stadium he knows really well, it's a piece of grass that he's been on and been across many, many times. So I think that will just help him settle into his game.
“If he can settle early, hopefully he can get a rhythm that allows him to dictate the game to a degree. We know there's going to be times where we're not going to be in enough control to dictate the game. But as I said, he's very brave defensively, very competent in the air. So whatever does get thrown at Tom, I am confident that he'll cope and I'm very confident that he'll learn from the occasion.
“I always felt that Michael had a real quiet control of games and a calmness about the way that he ran the game. And I do think there's a bit of that in Tom. It's always the same when you haven't seen someone at the level and they haven't been put under the pressure that's going to come, then you're not quite sure how things are going to work out. But I have real confidence in Tom and I'm sure Michael does as well.”
Category: General Sports
