A week after he made the stunning call to throw Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in at the deep end of Test rugby, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has again surprised with his matchday 23 for Sunday night's [AEDT] clash with Wales.
As reported by ESPN on Friday, the 21-year-old, who produced an outstanding display on his professional rugby debut, has dropped back to the bench to accommodate the inclusion of Samu Kerevi in the run-on side.
Furthermore, Kerevi will be joined in the starting XV by his fellow overseas-based teammate, Will Skelton, the Wallabies 2023 Rugby World Cup captain coming into the second-row at the expense of Jeremy Williams, who was also superb at Twickenham.
"It was was whirlind for Joseph last week or the last two weeks, so for him to just be able to take a breath and watch the game and then enter the game, I think he is a great opportunity for us to change things up for us if required," Schmidt told reporters in Cardiff.
The Wallabies coach also admitted there was a temptation to keep Suaalii in the starting side to and build on last week's momentum, but that the coaching group had opted for caution with the code-hopper's management plan.
"To a degree, I think anyone who plays four consecutive Tests against the ranked countries that we're up against, I do think that's a big challenege for anyone, particularly playing the full 80 minutes," Schmidt added. "That was only half the plan last week, but then Pietschy [Dylan Pietsch] came off and we couldn't quite manage those minutes and so we want to try and keep some balance there.
"And Samu comes in for his 50th cap, he's a really experienced player [and] combative player. And as I said post the game, Lenny Ikitau has played a lot of 13 for us, 12 is a less known position for him, so moving back out to 13 is pretty easy for him to do."
As was also reported Friday, prop Taniela Tupou will miss the Principality Stadium showdown. Tupou was one of the few, perhaps the only, Wallaby not to shine in London last week, with Schmidt confirming the knee knock the Waratahs-bound front-rower suffered in Bledisloe II was still causing issues.
Allan Alaalatoa, who produced his best showing off the bench since his return from a long-term Achilles injury, returns to the run-on side as Tupou's replacement and also takes on the captaincy following Harry Wilson's omission because of a head knock.
Wilson's replacement in the back-row also threw up a surprise, with Fijian-born Queensland Reds utility Seru Uru to wear the No. 6 jersey with Rob Valetini moving to his preferred No. 8 position.
Meanwhile, Pietsch's calf injury sees Max Jorgensen win his first start since the second Test against Argentina in La Plata. The 20-year-old scored the match-winning try off the bench in London and continues to impress with his speed and workrate off the ball.
The final of the six changes forecast by ESPN comes at scrum-half where veteran Nic White is a straight swap for Jake Gordon, who suffered a cut to the head in last week's win over England. Schmidt said that Gordon had been on "lighter duties" because of the cut this week and that he had been impressed with White's efforts in his last outing against the All Blacks in Bledisloe I.
But it will be Suaalii's demotion that will be the talking point in the run to this Sunday night's clash, after the former NRL star lit up Twickenham with his restart and aerial prowess, and his ability to squeeze an offload in traffic.
Wales coach Warren Gatland, who is under huge pressure following 10 straight losses, was certainly impressed by what Suaalii produced on his professional rugby debut.
"I think the impressive thing about him was his off-loading game - just being able to get the ball away," Gatland said.
"He didn't get a lot of opportunities with the ball in hand from an attacking perspective, but it was just being able to get the ball he got away over the top for a try and not die with the ball.
"I thought he fitted in pretty well for someone to be thrown into his first professional game at international level at Twickenham.
"I think the game needs people like that. The game needs superstars. For him to be named man-of-the-match as well, and to create that hype. "We all know and are pretty aware that rugby in Australia needs a boost.
"And hopefully for him, that is the kind of boost that he may provide, particularly in Sydney with the Swans also being involved in the AFL final."
Schmidt also commented that Suaalii had "dovetailed" nicely with midfield partner Len Ikitau, who was one of the Wallabies' best in the drought-breaking 42-37 victory.
Still, Schmidt has been keen to get a look at Kerevi and after neither the centre nor Skelton featured in London -- the Kiwi coach has taken at least a week to introduce new recruits into the team throughout the year -- both men will now have the opportunity to push their case for British & Irish Lions selection next year.
At his best, Kerevi is among the world's most dangerous line-bending centres. But the midfielder wasn't the same player last year in France after only recently returning from a long-term knee injury. He and Ikitau formed a strong midfield combination under former Wallabies coach Dave Rennie back in 2021, when the Wallabies won four straight Rugby Championship games over the Springboks and Pumas.
Skelton, meanwhile, adds genuine size to a Wallabies pack that isn't exactly the biggest in Test rugby. He was chosen as skipper for last year's global showpiece after impressing Eddie Jones in the run to the tournament, but his tenure lasted only one Test at the World Cup after he picked up a calf injury at training following Australia's opening win over Georgia.
Schmidt has played down his side's chances of completing an unlikely grand slam, knowing that Wales represent a far sterner challenge at home than they did when the Wallabies secured a 2-0 series win in Australia earlier this year.
Wales' current losing run stretches all the way back to their quarterfinal loss to Argentina at last year's World Cup.
However, a fortnight before they exited the tournament at the hands of the Pumas, Wales had hammered the Wallabies 40-6, completing one of the darkest days in Australian rugby after Eddie Jones' contract dealings with Japan had first been exposed only hours earlier.
AUSTRALIA: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Samu Kerevi, Max Jorgensen, Noah Lolesio, Nic White; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Seru Uru, Will Skelton, Nick Frost, Allan Alaalatoa, Matt Faessler, Angus Bell. Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Zane Nonggorr, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
