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Veteran fly half James O’Connor has been overlooked for the Wallabies’ first Test of the year against Fiji next month, all but ruling him of out of British & Irish Lions series.
Coach Joe Schmidt has preferred Noah Lolesio, Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh to the 34-year-old O’Connor, who moved to the Crusaders this season and is set to play off the bench in the Super Rugby Pacific final against the the Chiefs on Saturday.
The squad includes only two uncapped players – Western Force back rower Nick Champion de Crespigny and ACT Brumbies winger Corey Toole – and one overseas-based player, France-based former captain Will Skelton, although Lolesio, Langi Gleeson and Tom Hooper have been included despite signing deals that will take them overseas next year.
Schmidt said there will be players who are disappointed. “As coaches there was a lot of healthy, robust discussion and we think we’ve selected a group that will work hard and connect well as a squad,” he said.
“There’s some continuity from last year, plus a few new or returning players, who have forced their way into the mix through strong performances in Super Rugby Pacific.
The Wallabies play Fiji on 6 July in Newcastle, which will double as a trial for the first Test in the Lions on 19 July in Brisbane.
“This squad’s immediate focus is Fiji, and we will need to hit the ground running having not been together since early January,” Schmidt said.
O’Connor could still theoretically come into the Wallabies squad for the Lions squad in case of injury or a change in thinking from the coaching staff, but his exclusion suggests he is unlikely to play another match for Australia. The last of his 64 caps came in 2022.
Toole’s inclusion is a reward for an outstanding season with the Brumbies. He scored twice in the semi-final defeat to the Chiefs, including a contender for try of the season.
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Although the 25-year-old speedster is uncapped for the Wallabies, he represented Australia in sevens at the Paris Olympics.
But he is a long-shot to win a place in Australia’s outside backs, with Filipo Daugunu, Harry Potter, Andrew Kellaway, Max Jorgensen all included, as well as Force winger Dylan Pietsch, who has a chance to impress the Wallabies staff in the tour match against the Lions later this month.
Pietsch and his Perth-based teammates De Crespigny, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White will remain at home to prepare for the Force’s match against the Lions, before joining the Wallabies squad in Newcastle.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has also been named, confirming his recovery from a broken jaw is on track.
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