The Wallabies are about to enter the third and final phase of their Test season, with preparations for next month's spring tour set to continue in Canberra and Brisbane this week.
The two separate camps will feature players in contention for the tour as well as those hoping to win selection for Australia A, who will play England A and Bristol in back-to-back weeks.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is set to take a squad of 34 players north for games against England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, which will be his final four Tests before Australia face the British & Irish Lions next year.
It is clearly a huge tour, then.
Schmidt will name his group in around a week's time -- the A squad will also be named next week -- but we have opted to give the Wallabies boss a helping hand and come up with a 34-man group of our own.
PROPS
TRC squad: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou, Isaac Kailea
Keep: Alaalatoa, Bell, Robertson, Tupou, Kailea, Slipper
Dump: -
Add: -
Schmidt is slowly welcoming players back from the injury ward, though Tupou's knee knock against the All Blacks in Bledisloe II must have sent a shiver or two down the spine.
The one temptation here would be to give a weary James Slipper a rest by leaving him at home. The veteran prop has already taken a few whacks this year in reaching his record-breaking 140th Test cap and, at 35 years of age, recovery isn't getting any quicker nor easier.
However, with fitness clouds hanging over the head of Blake Schoupp and Harry Johnson-Holmes sidelined by a long-term Achilles injury, there aren't a whole lot of resources sitting beneath Slipper. Zane Nonggorr is a tighthead -- where Slipper covers both sides of the scrum -- and could probably be best used on the Australia A team for further exposure.
Perhaps the best approach then is to retain Slipper but give Kailea the majority of the opportunities behind Bell at loosehead, a start or two even, and only call on the veteran where absolutely necessary. As Schmidt said post Slipper's record-breaking Test in Sydney, the front-rower's presence around the young Wallabies group is invaluable.
HOOKER
TRC squad: Matt Faessler, Josh Nasser, Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Keep: Faessler, Paenga-Amosa, Nasser
Dump: -
Add: -
No changes at hooker here with several players making their way back from injury, and another suddenly eligible upon his return home. That is of course Nick Dolly, who recently toured with the Western Force in South Africa.
Dolly played one Test for England under Eddie Jones but has since served his stand-down requirement to be eligible for Wallabies selection moving forward. The Sydney-raised rake will start to enter Test calculations from next year.
Meanwhile, Lachie Lonergan and former Wallabies captain Dave Porecki are on the comeback trail, with the latter having not laced a boot all year. If fit, both should come into contention for Australia, while Billy Pollard, who featured earlier in the year for the Wallabies, would also benefit from further international exposure as part of the 'A' tour.
LOCKS
TRC squad: Josh Canham, Nick Frost, Tom Hooper, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Jeremy Williams
Keep: Frost, Salakaia-Loto, Williams
Dump: Canham, Hooper
Add: Will Skelton
Schmidt has clearly identified his favoured three locks in Salakaia-Loto, Frost, and Williams, with each player offering something slightly different from the next. In just his first season of Test rugby, Williams has improved with every game in the gold jersey, culminating in a standout effort against the All Blacks in Bledisloe.
Hooper meanwhile has spent a lot of time with the Wallabies in camp but has only seen sparing little action. The versatile Brumbies forward -- he can also cover 6 and 8 -- might be best served with some playing time for Australia A, before he joins up with Schmidt's group to cover both the second- and back-rows.
Canham, similarly, could use the playing time against England A and Bristol, before he returns home for a full preseason with his new Reds teammates. He is player of the future, no doubt.
Which brings us to the Will Skelton dilemma. Schmidt revealed earlier this year that he had spoken with the last year's original World Cup Wallabies captain, but the situation with his French paymasters La Rochelle, its preseason, and the fact that the hulking lock had come off a marathon 2023-24 season meant it was best he did not return home for the Rugby Championship.
But it should be a different story in November. Skelton last week confirmed he was keen to play for the Wallabies in the U.K., but noted it would only be for three Tests with the final game against Ireland falling outside the stipulated international window. Skelton would add size to the Wallaby pack and help to further shore up the scrum behind Tupou. The lock's inclusion would however upset the balance of the lineout, and perhaps require a back-row rethink, which Schmidt might be loathed to do considering its collective effort in recent times.
If Skelton doesn't play in November, then put a line through him for the Lions.
BACK-ROW
TRC squad: Langi Gleeson, Fraser McReight, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Harry Wilson
Keep: Gleeson, McReight, Tizzano, Valetini, Wilson,
Dump: -
Add: Rob Leota
Schmidt is building a nice blend of back-row options, headed by his preferred starting trio of Valetini, McReight, and skipper Wilson. Tizzano, meanwhile, proved he was an openside of Test quality in rugged performances against the Boks and Pumas, and he will continue to provide back-up for the tireless Queenslander.
Gleeson, meanwhile, remains a project player of sorts. His talent is undeniable, and towards the backend of the Rugby Championship, he started to show what he can offer on both sides of the ball. The package remains raw, however.
Where Hooper was pushed down to the A squad, I'd be bringing Leota straight into the Wallabies group so that he can get up to speed with Schmidt's systems, as he has spent next to no time with the squad to date. He is also a player who can provide a real burst of energy off the bench, can cover lock, 6, and 8, and is someone who would benefit from being around the Wallabies after a tough year, headlined by the Rebels' demise.
Leota has been training with new club the Waratahs in Sydney and, if fit, should tour with the Wallabies in November.
HALFBACKS
TRC squad: Jake Gordon, Tate McDermott, Nic White
Keep: Gordon, McDermott, White
Dump: -
Add: -
There is no need for change here with Schmidt more than content with the three options at his disposal. Gordon remains the preferred starter with McDermott providing the bolt of energy off the bench; White is there for added experience and slight change of tactics.
The intrigue at No. 9 comes in the Australia A squad, where any of Isaak Fines-Leleiwasa, Ryan Lonergan, Teddy Wilson, and Harrison Goddard may be selected. Fines-Leleiwasa and Lonergan are the likely pair, but there will be a real temptation to expedite Wilson's development after a brilliant year with Eastern Suburbs in the Shute Shield and a handful of Waratahs performances beforehand.
FLY-HALVES
TRC squad: Ben Donaldson, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh
Keep: Donaldson, Lolesio
Dump: Lynagh
Add: Tane Edmed
Having started in seven of the Wallabies' nine Tests to date, Lolesio has established himself as Schmidt's first-choice No. 10, without producing the kind of performance that would have settled the debate once and for all. If Lynagh had been fit, perhaps we may have seen more of him than his hamstrings have allowed.
Given those frustrations and the notorious fickleness of hamstring injuries to boot, there is an opportunity to throw Tane Edmed into the Wallabies mix in the U.K. and Ireland. Edmed is coming off a standout NPC season with North Harbour, is battle hardened, and offers a point of difference to Lolesio and Donaldson with his ability to square up his shoulders and straighten the direction of the attack.
This is by no means a call to throw Edmed in ahead of Lolesio for a start, but to give him an opportunity at least off the bench. Had Lolesio or Donaldson played the house down, this would be a moot point, but such a performance is still yet to manifest.
At only 21, Lynagh has loads of rugby in front of him. He should be given the opportunity to remedy his hamstring issues over an extended offseason.
Beyond that, Lawson Creighton, Jack Debreczeni, and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips are all worthwhile options for the Australia A tour.
CENTRES
TRC squad: David Feiluai, Josh Flook, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Hamish Stewart
Keep: Flook, Ikitau, Paisami, Stewart
Dump: David Feiluai
Add: -
There is no need for change here and with one casualty still needed to get down to a 34-man squad, Feiluai is the fall guy.
The Brumbies-bound centre hasn't been sighted in a Wallabies 23 as yet, despite being with the wider squad for much of the year, and could benefit from some actual playing time with Australia A.
Just where Samu Kerevi sits amid the Schmidt era is uncertain. There have been reports that the veteran midfielder's name was discussed amid Rugby Championship discussions, but Kerevi was well below his best at last year's World Cup and was then playing second division rugby in Japan earlier this year.
Lalakai Foketi will likely be included in the Australia A squad but one wonders if and where Izaia Perese may be featuring if the former Waratahs back hadn't opted for a move to Leicester.
OUTSIDE BACKS
TRC squad: Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Marika Koroibete, Dylan Pietsch, Corey Toole, Tom Wright
Keep: Jorgensen, Kellaway, Pietsch, Wright,
Dump: Toole, Koroibete
Add: Filipo Daugunu
While it is not the time to put a line through Koroibete's name once and for all, the winger's performances in The Rugby Championship, a wrist injury, and the fact that his Japanese club is already back training, suggest he need not tour with the Wallabies this November.
But I'd replace one Fijian with another with the return of Daugunu, with the Reds-bound winger on track to recover from the broken leg he suffered against Georgia in July. Daugunu had been in strong form beforehand, save for some moments of ill-discipline, his finishing and work rate off the ball are as good as any of those who featured during the Rugby Championship.
Wright and Kellaway were among Australia's best performers in the southern hemisphere showpiece, while Jorgensen also showed brief moments of his immense talent. Pietsch, meanwhile, seized his opportunity for a start in Wellington and shored up his touring place as a result.
That leaves Toole and fellow sevens flyer Darby Lancaster as the other players who have been in and around the back three this year. Schmidt said last month that Toole's opportunity wasn't too far away, while Lancaster had his crack against Georgia. The fastest players in the Wallabies squad, both men could use the opportunity for a run with Australia A and then serve as cover should injuries arise later in the tour.
Sam Bruce's Wallabies spring tour [34]
Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Isaac Kailea, Tom Robertson, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou; Matt Faessler, Josh Nasser, Branden Paenga-Amosa; Nick Frost, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Will Skelton, Jeremy Williams; Langi Gleeson, Rob Leota, Fraser McReight, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Harry Wilson.
Backs: Jake Gordon, Tate McDermott, Nic White; Ben Donaldson, Tane Edmed, Noah Lolesio; Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Hamish Stewart, Josh Flook; Filipo Daugunu, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Wright.