Wallabies dealt big injury blow on eve of Springboks showdown

The Wallabies have suffered a big loss on the eve of Sunday’s clash against the two-time defending world champion Springboks in Perth, with lineout caller and in-form lock Josh Canham ruled out with a minor hamstring strain.

Canham hadn’t started a match in Wallaby gold before the Nations Championship Test in July, but the second-rower has quickly emerged as a core member of the side. The 25-year-old has featured in six Tests this season, and was set for another appearance this weekend.

But the Wallabies have been dealt an injury blow ahead of the match, confirming a significant team update on Saturday morning. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will now pack down alongside Jeremy Williams in the run-on side, while Lachlan Shaw comes onto the bench.

Salakaia-Loto missed out on selection for the July internationals, before returning to the fold under new Wallabies coach Les Kiss. The coach selected Salakaia-Loto in the squad for the two Test series against Japan, with the lock starting in the dominant 56-17 win in Townsville.

“It is always a big loss when you lose your lineout caller, and someone like Canham has been playing some really good footy for us,” Wallabies captain Harry Wilson told reporters.

“Someone like Jeremy Williams, he has called [lineouts] in international footy before and I’m really looking forward to him to have that opportunity.

“Then someone like Lukhan Salakaia-Loto coming into the starting team, I know how excited he is and he’s raring to go. He might not offer Canham’s jumping ability gee whiz he can offer some other stuff around the field.”

Salakaia-Loto and Williams will line up opposite two experienced Springboks locks, with two-time Rugby World Cup winners Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert boasting 230 Test appearances between them.

Coach Rassie Erasmus has also named dual World Cup winner Lood de Jager on the bench, with more than 340 Test caps between the replacements. Jasper Wiese will make his 50^th appearance, while the likes of Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche also add impact.

“We know they’re a team that want to go through us. They’re a big, abrasive forward pack,” Wilson said.

“To have someone like Lukhan next to you, it gives you a bit of confidence and he really relishes those battles.

“When he’s up against Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth, he’s against some experienced campaigners but he’s quite experienced himself too.”

The Wallabies claimed a famous comeback win over the Springboks 13 months ago at Emirates Airline Park, running in 38 unanswered points to win 38-22. Those sides met again the following weekend in Cape Town, with the Boks winning a thriller.

“But I guess we’re really aware that it means nothing tomorrow night,” Wilson explained, as the Wallabies look to keep their unbeaten run alive under coach Kiss. The Wallabies haven’t lost since playing France on July 11, winning four and drawing once since then.

“We’ve definitely looked back on some of the things we did really well against them, and it definitely gives the boys a lot of confidence.

“We know what sort of team they’re going to be, we’ve watched them very closely in the last four matches against the Kiwis in some unbelievable Test footy.

“We got the opportunity to go against them. Obviously there’s been a few changes but there’s still 10 World Cup winners in there, the second-row pairing has played 250 international games. They’re still such an experienced team with Handre Pollard steering them around.”