We are now just three-and-a-half months from the Wallabies’ first Test against the British & Irish Lions in Brisbane.
While promotion has been strong, and tickets have just about sold themselves, it would have been nice to hear from Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. Sadly, with Rugby Australia still trying to decide on his replacement, the Kiwi has spoken only twice to Stan Sport – and even then he has given little away as to who has been impressing him in Super Rugby Pacific.
Luckily, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the competition, and, at the midway point of the season, have produced our Wallabies squad tracker.
Check it out below!
HOOKER
Entrenched: Matt Faessler, Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Trending up: Billy Pollard
In the hunt: Dave Porecki, Nic Dolly, Richie Asiata, Josh Nasser, Lachlan Lonergan
Australia’s hooking stocks continue to run deep, which is good news given the group has already been hit hard by injury in 2025. Matt Faessler will make his return after a couple of weeks on the sidelines, boosting a Reds’ lineout that was picked apart by the Force in Brisbane last week.
Elsewhere, both Billy Pollard and Brandon Paenga-Amosa have impressed around the paddock in their respective starts; the Brumbies hooker bustling his way over for a key five-pointer against the Highlanders last weekend. The bolter here could be former England hooker Nic Dolly, who is carving out a solid first season with the Force.
Sadly, Waratahs rake Dave Porecki can’t take a trick with injury. Porecki missed the entirety of 2025 but returned to play in each of NSW’s early-season wins, only to then suffer a calf complaint that has sidelined him the past two weeks. Both the Waratahs and Wallabies will want to see Porecki back on the field sooner rather than later.
PROP
Entrenched: Angus Bell, Allan Alaalatoa, James Slipper
Trending up: Alex Hodgman, Blake Schoupp, Massimo de Luttis, Tom Robertson, Zane Nonggorr
In the hunt: Isaac Kailea, Taniela Tupou, Marley Pearce
What will have pleased Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt early this season, among other things, is the performance of Brumbies veteran Allan Alaalatoa, who is back to his best in the No. 3 jersey. After rupturing his Achilles ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Alaalatoa has needed well over 12 months to regain peak form, particularly at scrum time, which should serve as a lesson for Australian rugby moving forward.
A fit and firing Alaalatoa is a sight for sore eyes, particularly with Waratahs recruit Taniela Tupou playing well below his best since his move to Sydney. In fact, if you were picking a Wallabies tighthead group right now, Tupou’s inclusion would be based solely on reputation, with each of Massimo de Lutiis, Zane Nonggorr and Tom Robertson worthy of inclusion on the basis of form. Tupou needs to offer more around the paddock, as the improvement in the scrummaging of Nonggorr and de Lutiis, in particular, is making them a more enticing selection by the week.
Pleasingly, the collective scrummaging of the Australian teams has improved across the board; the Brumbies’ win in Auckland and Reds’ triumph in Dunedin were direct results of scrum dominance. Queensland’s Alex Hodgman has looked very strong on the loosehead side.
LOCKS
Entrenched: Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams
Trending up: Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Josh Canham, Darcy Swain
In the hunt: Ryan Smith, Angus Blyth
Competition at lock is hotting up, particularly since Lukhan Salakaia-Loto’s return a fortnight ago. The Wallabies veteran bolstered an already-strong Reds second-row contingent, which includes the in-form Josh Canham who has relished his move north from the now defunct Melbourne Rebels.
Canham has fitted into the Reds’ attacking blueprint perfectly and is making an excellent Wallabies case with his ball-carrying and offload ability through the middle of the paddock. He also sits third for lineout takes [28].
In the west, Force skipper Jeremy Williams is only further enhancing his reputation through his defensive lineout prowess, the Sydney-raised second-rower also adding to his work rate around the paddock. His play has also seemingly rubbed off on Force recruit Darcy Swain, who gave the Reds all sorts of headaches at the lineout last week in Brisbane. He leads the competition for lineout steals [6] alongside Nick Frost. While still conceding the odd penalty, Swain has not been goaded into moments of foul play.
BACK-ROW
Entrenched: Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini
Trending up: Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Seru Uru
In the hunt: Rob Leota, Rory Scott, Luke Reimer, Nick Champion de Crespigny
The big movers here are hybrid players Tom Hooper and Seru Uru, who are both capable of covering lock and the back-row, and Waratahs No. 8 Langi Gleeson. And then there is Carlo Tizzano, who might just be the best player in the competition right now.
Tizzano looks set to break Super Rugby’s alltime try-scoring mark for forwards, and could even surpass the record proper, given he sits on 10 five-pointers through seven rounds. He needs two more to equal the forwards’ mark held by Malcolm Marx. Tizzano is also getting it done on the defensive side of the ball, leading the competition for tackles made [108]. His superb play has coincided with Fraser McReight’s injury absence, and the Reds star will want to make a positive return on Friday night against the Chiefs.
Tizzano’s Force teammate Nick Champion de Crespigny has meanwhile put his name in the mix, after an impressive first couple of months in Super Rugby. Champion de Crespigny sits second behind Tizzano for tackles made [102] and has also shown his quality with ball in hand, producing a marvellous offload that sent Tom Robertson on a run to the line last week in Brisbane.
While Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh cleared up any suggestion those players heading overseas would not be considered for the Lions series, it would be nice to hear something from Schmidt himself given his previous stance. Both Hooper and Gleeson have delivered several physical, commanding performances that will make them very hard to leave out.
SCRUM-HALF
Entrenched: Jake Gordon, Tate McDermott
Trending up: Kalani Thomas
In the hunt: Nic White, Ryan Lonergan, Teddy Wilson
Waratahs skipper Jake Gordon remains sidelined with a medial ligament injury and is one player seemingly waiting on news of the incoming Wallabies coach before deciding his future beyond 2025. Regardless, he was Schmidt’s go-to man at No. 9 last season and is likely to play a leading role against the Lions.
With Tate McDermott rested and then reintroduced via the bench, Kalani Thomas has had more game time than usual and has capitalised on the starts in style. It may be that 2025 comes too early for the Reds’ back-up scrum-half, so too that he needs to move away from Ballymore for more game time, but against both the Highlanders and Force he showed moments of class that suggest he is capable of graduating to Test rugby. The same goes for Teddy Wilson, who is making the most of Gordon’s injury at the Waratahs.
There shouldn’t be too much movement here, however, with injury likely the only way the deck is shuffled, with Ryan Lonergan and Nic White poised to fight it out for the third scrum-half spot behind Gordon and McDermott.
FLY-HALF
Entrenched: Noah Lolesio
Trending up: Tom Lynagh, Ben Donaldson
In the hunt:
Incumbent Wallabies fly-half Noah Lolesio missed several weeks through a head knock, and would likely admit that he has yet to really hit his straps as a result. He helped pilot his side’s vital win in Fiji in Round 1, but then missed the win over the Blues in Auckland; he has also seen Jack Debreczeni come on off the bench and make an impact in the past few weeks. Lolesio is still Schmidt’s man, but the Brumbies fly-half will be looking for a big back half of the season.
The player who is really putting pressure on here is Tom Lynagh, the Reds No. 10 producing the kind of all-round performances that you want from a Test No. 10. What Lynagh, and Force rival Ben Donaldson, have over Lolesio is length of kick, particularly when exiting after points. Donaldson has also looked sharp in attack, the former Waratahs pivot helping to unlock a Force attack that has struggled to create space in recent years. Tellingly, both Donaldson [84.4%] and Lynagh [87%] are kicking far better for goal than Lolesio [62.5%], too.
Tane Edmed is meanwhile having a forgettable season in Sydney, the one-Test Wallaby moved to the bench last month before being dropped for this week’s clash with Moana Pasifika.
MIDFIELD
Entrenched: Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami
Trending up:
In the hunt: Hamish Stewart, David Feliuai
Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii made his return after a month off in the Waratahs’ crushing loss to the Hurricanes, the code-hopper one of few NSW players to perform despite being switched from outside centre to fullback after Max Jorgensen’s injury.
Len Ikitau has meanwhile started to fire after a steady start to the year, while Hunter Paisami is also working back to his best form after a two-week suspension for a dangerous tackle.
If Schmidt decides to keep Suaalii in midfield – he is at fullback for the Waratahs this weekend – then it may be that either David Feliuai or Hamish Stewart are competing for the final midfield spot in the Wallabies squad to face the Lions. Waratahs pair Joey Walton and Lalakai Foketi are further down the list, but the return of Reds midfielder Isaac Henry in the coming weeks could shift things again. Dre Pakeho, meanwhile, looks like a player of the future.
OUTSIDE BACKS
Entrenched: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Filipo Daugunu
Trending up: Harry Potter
In the hunt: Max Jorgensen, Dylan Pietsch, Andy Muirhead, Corey Toole
A third serious injury in just his third season as a professional has left Max Jorgensen racing the clock to be fit for the Lions. The ankle syndesmosis – the result of a dubious “hip-drop” tackle – he suffered against the Hurricanes will keep him out until likely the last round of Super Rugby, and even then, it may not be worth risking. If Jorgensen is to feature in the three Tests against the Lions, he may have to return via Shute Shield and then the Waratahs’ game against the tourists, so too the Australia-NZ Invitational squad.
Elsewhere, Harry Potter is another player relishing the Force’s attacking freedom, his finishes against the Drua a fortnight ago were superb. And Filipo Daugunu is excelling on his return to the Reds, switching between outside centre and the wing.
While tackling technique remains an issue for Corey Toole, both he and Brumbies teammate Andy Muirhead have demonstrated their finishing quality with some vital five-pointers in Canberra recently.
Source: espn.com