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'No mind games' - The latest on Will Skelton's availability


Will Skelton of the Wallabies embraces Jordan Petaia of the Wallabies after losing the The Rugby Championship & Bledisloe Cup match between the Australia Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 29, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
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Australia remain hopeful captain Will Skelton will be fit for their second outing of the World Cup against Fiji in Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

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The second row missed the Wallabies’ team photo shoot on Saturday having been troubled by a calf injury in the build-up to the Pool C clash at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

That sparked speculation the 31-year-old had been ruled out but line-out coach Dan Palmer insisted that was not the case.

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Ireland post-match press conference after Tonga win

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Ireland post-match press conference after Tonga win

Speaking at a press conference, Palmer said: “We are giving Will as much time as possible to get ready for the game.

“He’s in treatment, working with the physios at the moment. We’ll give him until the last minute.

“There’s no mind games, we are just giving him as long as possible. He’s an important part of our team and we’re prepared to do that. He might play and he might not.”

Palmer confirmed Matt Philip, who did feature in the team photo, will come into the side should Skelton fail to make it with David Porecki taking over as skipper.

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Veteran prop James Slipper, scrum-half Nic White and lock Nick Frost are also set to feature.

The Wallabies are looking for their second victory of the tournament after opening with a 35-15 triumph over Georgia.

Fiji are hoping to spring a shock after being edged out 32-26 in a thrilling clash with Wales last week.

Assistant coach Graham Dewes said: “If we’d just done a few things, nailed our basics, we would have nailed those opportunities we had. So, just do the basics and our natural game will flow.”

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TL 1 hour ago
Joe Schmidt bows out on a high - but can the Wallabies escape 'the twilight zone'?

It’s hard to see how any coach could have done much better and that coaches can only shift the dial so much in Australia, we’ve had some of the best in the world and the trajectory has been the same. The win/loss record is obviously an important metric, but it is only one metric, and not necessarily the best to assess a team that is really still in a building phase (2024 was recovery!). You could look at something like average losing margin, and the trajectory there is much better, with the 2025/2026 results close to half the losing margin in 2024 and during Eddie’s reign (roughly 10, compared to closer to 20). Much has been made of the so called merry-go-round at 10 (really sick of that phrase but here I am using it), but losing Noah, Lygnah and Dono between Fiji and SA games in 2025, and Carter then Dono in 2026 had nothing to do with Joe. He consistently backed his first choices and backed youth at 10 when he could. The injuries led to a massive increase in uncertainty around whether to risk players who weren’t ready or back experience but lose the future benefit. In that situation I think we need to permit our coaches a greater degree of experimentation and error. Much has been made of the LSL situation, but what about how Joe’s selections at lock have led to some real depth of capability there, with players that weren’t as conspicuously impressive (e.g. Williams, Canham). Joe has made his mistakes, but he righted the trend that was heading sharply down, and I suspect that as with what he left in Ireland and as with Stuart Lancaster your old mate, the true test of his time will be what happens in the wake.

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