The three trouble positions which the Wallabies must resolve in Argentina

Les Kiss has now named the second squad of his tenure as Wallabies head coach, reducing it from 36 to 34 players for the trip to Argentina.

For the first time in 2026, no debutants have been selected in the squad, and this bodes well for consistency and for the wider group really cementing its identity.

The omission of giant lock Miles Amatosero was expected as he serves a three-match ban for his illegal hit on Japan’s captain Warner Dearns in Osaka.

The unexpected omission is that of Queensland Reds’ fullback Jock Campbell, who played excellently in the Wallabies’ narrow defeat to Ireland in July.

Although Campbell was anything but excellent in Brisbane a week later when he was forced to shift to the playmaking role, it would be harsh to hold that against him, as he had barely played a professional game there previously.

This leaves the fullback discussion open for speculation; however, the Wallabies cannot rely on Tom Wright alone, and so the hunt for a back-up no.15 begins.

Across the side, there is now a genuine feeling of competition, with a whole host of players putting up their hands to be starters in several positions, and this can only be seen as encouraging leading into the tough two-Test tour of Argentina.

Los Pumas is the perfect litmus Test for the Wallabies, and has been so since Michael Cheika first coached the side in a Test in 2021.

Win a match, and the Wallabies can be assured they are trending in the right direction; lose both matches and questions will begin to be asked, particularly if Kiss makes radical selection changes from game-to-game.

If the Wallabies nab a win against Los Pumas, it would be the first side higher than them that they will have beaten since South Africa last year at Ellis Park, and it will be only the second since England on the End of Year Tour in 2024.

With this bar in mind, the selection picture becomes all the more important.

Outside centre (no.13)

The tidal wave of support and delight for Wallaby no.999 Isaac Henry, who made his debut in Osaka off the bench, then his starting debut in Townsville a week later, has been resounding and well deserved.

It’s not only because he proved he can withstand the rigours of Test rugby, going up against a very talented no.13 in Dylan Riley, but also because of the calm demeanor with which he went about his business.

He rarely, if ever, looked rushed, never flustered, and he nailed his core skillset.

It may seem like cheap praise, but rugby, even at the highest levels, relies on the fundamentals being done to the best standards.

Henry’s passing and line running on the weekend are skills at a level the Wallabies haven’t had in the no.13 jersey for a few years now.

However, with Hunter Paisami heading to Japan for club rugby in 2027 and Henry staying at the Queensland Reds, Henry’s arrival on the Test stage could not have come at a better time.

There is also a feeling that with Campbell being omitted from the squad and Kiss trialing Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the wing in Osaka, there may be a seismic shift for the better about to occur in the backline make-up.

Should Kiss select Suaalii in the back three, then it creates a clear path forward for Henry in the centres, but it may not necessarily be at outside centre.

Since Paisami is heading offshore, Len Ikitau returning to the ACT Brumbies from his sabbatical with Exeter, and whispers of Samu Kerevi still very much being in the conversation, the competition for the centre positions is finally heating up.

If you have Kerevi in your side, you would put the 108kg man at inside centre, and you would put the great defensive reader Ikitau at outside centre.

Henry can adequately cover both positions with his speed, power, and distribution skills, and the fact that he’s staying in Queensland puts him in the driver’s seat.

Now, although Kerevi is not in this squad, these considerations around Samu as well as Paisami show where the outside centre and, by default, the inside centre discussion will likely arrive at.

Shifting Ikitau to no.13 and having Paisami or Henry play no.12 appears to be the logical way forward considering the apparent shifts being made inside and outside the squad.

Loosehead prop 

While it may appear weird to say with James Slipper, the 154 Test veteran, being the most senior loosehead prop in and around the Wallabies, it is the heir to Angus Bell, the 25-year-old 55-capped prop, that must be found in Argentina.

Reds prop Aidan Ross was given the opportunity in both matches against Japan, and his performances were sound.

It’s always hard to judge the performance of a fellow number one when they either have to start ahead or come on after Bell, seeing as Bell is regularly one of the Wallabies’ best on deck every week.

However, it is clear that even Bell is not yet a world-class scrummager, and with Slipper now being on managed minutes to help the veteran’s longevity in the game, the arrival of a genuine Test-level scrummager at loosehead is a matter of some urgency for the Wallabies.

Injured Brumby Blake Schoupp appears to be the best scrummager on the domestic scene, and with five Test caps, he would be no rookie debutant.

Newly signed Queensland Red and Australia A representative Tom Lambert, who has just departed the Waratahs, appears to be a prospect that will be scoped out further on the Australia A tour of the USA later in the year.

This leaves the third LHP selected in Kiss’s squad, eight-cap Isaac Aedo Kailea.

Kailea is abrasive, strong in contact, quick and agile with ball in hand, but he, like the rest of the cohort, is not an elite scrummager yet.

Kailea must be given minutes against Los Pumas to see where his improvement levels are and whether he is worth persisting with through to the northern leg of the Nations Championship in November.

There is no question that he offers more around the park than the other backup looseheads; he is a staunch defender, has a genuine turn of pace, and as a former no.8 he has deft footwork into contact, but scrummaging must come first.

There are no doubts as to why  Kailea has been selected by Kiss; he fits the mould of the coach’s “going forward” model and assistant Jonathan Fisher’s desire for forwards to “go forward” off turnover ball, but there is no getting away from the necessity of being able to hold, win, and ideally dominate a scrum.

Bell is in a league of his own; Ross and Kailea need to convince Kiss and scrum coach John Ulugia that they are growing, learning, and improving at the scrum enough to keep Kiss from keeping the merry-go-round going leading into the Springboks and All Blacks Tests.

While there are players overseas that are regularly thrown up as options, Kiss cannot rely on untested players overseas for his set-piece; the answers must come from within.

Unfortunately, with Schoupp still nursing a Lisfranc injury that will see his return window coincide with the Nations Championship in November, it appears as though Kiss only truly has Kailea, Ross, Lambert and possibly Tom Robertson to select from in 2026.

Wing 

It feels rather unusual for the Wallabies to be relatively well stocked and solid in the forward pack and with a decent idea of who their starting and backup halves are, but that is not the case at wing.

Again, it may appear as an overcomplication, but the Wallabies’ wingers have not been finishing off enough of the try opportunities created.

Likewise, the Wallabies lack any semblance of aerial dominance despite having extremely capable players at their disposal.

As discussed above, Kiss appears to be shifting Suaalii further out in the backline, and this will likely coincide with further use of his aerial abilities beyond just kick-off regather and the occasional midfield chip.

Outside of the current squad, Mark Nawaqanitawase looms as an established aerial threat, and so does currently injured Zac Lomax for the Western Force, who will likely make his return in Super Rugby AU in October.

However, within the squad, the competition is at an all-time high; Max Jorgensen is capable of doing things the others cannot, and Harry Potter has shown that he is a Test match animal, while Dylan Pietsch and Filipo Daugunu chip away in the background, ready at any time to step into the fray.

What is clear from the way wingers are selected currently around the world is that there are premiums placed on speed and aerial ability.

You look at any side in the world, the wingers are fast or have exceptional aerial ability on either side of the ball.

Los Pumas have plenty of these sorts of weapons.

Ignacio Mendy and Rodrigo Isgro are both exceptionally quick but have great aerial skills; Matteo Carreras and Bautista Delguy are lightning quick and elusive.

You look at players like Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Will Jordon, Cheslin Kolbe, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, and Louis Rees-Zammit; they are lightning quick, and their partners on the other wing are either just as quick or have an aerial dominance to their game.

Potter has not found the balance of when to pass and when to run; Jorgensen is still missing too many tackles in defence, and Pietsch and Daugunu are neither exceptionally quick nor elite in the air.

What Daugunu and Pietsch bring are on-ball threats, aggressive defensive reads, and gainline-winning physicality, but in an attack that works to create overlaps, express pace is crucial.

While they are all capable of taking high balls, no one has come close to being consistently dominant in the air.

With Suaalii seemingly entering the outside back selection piece and no wingers truly nailing their brief, selection on the edges should be anything but guaranteed.

The forwards have definitely been improved in 2026 and have nailed their briefs under both Joe Schmidt and Kiss, and so it is time for the backs to nail theirs.

Whoever is selected must prove that they are the current type of stereotypical winger with clinical execution, or prove their unique skillset can transcend the trends.