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Report: Wallabies set to be without Skelton for rest of Rugby Championship
By Ben Smith
The Wallabies are set to be without talismanic lock Will Skelton for the rest of the Rugby Championship according to a report by The Roar.
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In a major blow for the Rugby Championship title and Bledisloe series hopes, Skelton’s Top 14 club La Rochelle requires him back for duty ahead of a schedule clash with Bordeaux.
Despite talks of extending Skelton’s time with the Wallabies, it appears that La Rochelle have had the final say.
“I will definitely be on the flight home,” Skelton told reporters following the Wallabies’ first-up win in South Africa at Ellis Park earlier this month.
“We are having ongoing conversations about what the rest of the Rugby Championship looks like.
“We will have a think this week and have a chat with the brains trust and see what we get to.”
Skelton’s impressive British & Irish Lions series set the way for a Wallabies revival with the enforcer the standout Australian player from the 2-1 series defeat that finished with only a one point aggregate score difference.
The 33-year-old was granted an extended time to play the first two rounds of the Rugby Championship, where the Wallabies made history with their first win at Ellis Park since 1963.
The loss of Skelton further dents the Wallabies who are dealing with a major injury toll, with fullback Tom Wright the latest to be sidelined with a long-term ACL injury.
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Halfback Nic White and Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii were taken off with HIAs and their status will be monitored. White had answered an SOS to play on for the Wallabies after injury to Jake Gordon.
Harry Wilson, James Slipper and Dylan Pietsch were three more starters who suffered injuries in the first Test against the Springboks.
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