Joe Schmidt makes rare eve of Test change to Wallabies team

The Wallabies have had a rare eve-of-Test change of heart, deciding to bring in international novice Tane Edmed as bench cover for veteran James O’Connor in their Rugby Championship opener against South Africa in Johannesburg.

Eyebrows had been raised on Thursday when coach Joe Schmidt announced a team with no specialist flyhalf back-up for his veteran playmaker O’Connor, who’s been recalled for his first Test in three years.

Schmidt had suggested scumhalf Nic White or outside back Andrew Kellaway were equipped as fill-in No.10s even though neither had played there in their pro careers, with his team selection appearing very risky at the Ellis Park home of the world champions.

But after an overnight rethink, Schmidt named one-cap Edmed on Friday as cover for 35-year-old O’Connor, putting him on the bench in place of the originally selected replacement loose forward Nick Champion de Crespigny.

If the Wallabies stick by their original plan to have O’Connor playing just the first half, that would mean Edmed coming on for the second 40, having previously played only three minutes as a replacement in the green-and-gold before he got injured against Ireland in Dublin late last year.

Schmidt’s late volte face, announced by the Wallabies on social media, was highly unusual after his team had already been named, even though the New Zealander had signalled on Thursday he was pondering potential late switches after Ben Donaldson, his original replacement 10, got injured late in training.

Now, what had originally been listed as a surprise 6-2 split between forwards and backs on the bench has again reverted to a 5-3.

The No.10 berth has become a headache for Schmidt. His first-choice Noah Lolesio is out with neck trouble and Tom Lynagh suffered a concussion in their third-Test win over the British & Irish Lions in Sydney a fortnight ago, before Donaldson’s latest setback.

“Dono went down in last-minute training on Thursday afternoon, which wasn’t ideal after the team has been announced internally,” explained captain Harry Wilson at a press conference on Friday.

“We named Crep (Champion de Crespigny) but the coach has had a few meetings overnight and again this morning to work out what would be the best replacement and decided to put in Tane, which he’s really excited about.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in him, he’s been around the group now for a little while and what he’s put in on the training park has been first class,” Wilson added.

Wilson also has great faith in O’Connor, who’s been important as a ‘finisher’ for the New Zealand Super Rugby outfit, the Crusaders.

“After three years, I know he’s really excited to be out there. He’s 35 years old. He’s got plenty of experience. He’s got plenty of confidence, and we can’t wait to see him go out there and do his job,” said Wilson.