LONG READ Where's the power? And what to do with Sua'ali'i? The key questions facing the Wallabies

The first Wallabies squad of the year brings new excitement, with Australian fans trying to work out which parts will go where, as players switch from Super Rugby to international rugby.

It’s also the beginning of the end of the Joe Schmidt era. Schmidt will take charge for these first three Nations Championship Tests, with a concerted, gradual increase in Les Kiss’ presence ahead of the completed takeover for the Japan series and the not-Rugby Championship Tests in August and September.

Yes, it has been supposedly developed with everyone’s input, and it will ensure there are no awkward overlap of voices and ideas, but it still feels more convoluted than it could have been. Queensland didn’t much fancy looking for a new coach early, however, and this is the necessary if inelegant solution.

“It is what it is”: a statement Schmidt has used a lot to assess the situation, and it’s hard to imagine it being anything other than an ongoing talking point for the rest of July.

Ireland have been enjoying the sunshine in Sydney this past week, and a blockbuster clash awaits at Allianz Stadium on Saturday. With the first week of the international season here, we finally get some answers about Schmidt’s final Wallabies squad.

Who anchors the scrum?

Six props are selected with all in varying degrees of form. And there are key questions on both sides of the front row.

Is Zane Nonggorr ready to be a regular Test match starter? Because with Taniela Tupou playing primarily off the bench for Racing 92 in France this season, and Allan Ala’alatoa still finding his way after the back injury that sidelined him for much of the season, we might be about to find out.

Ala’alatoa and Tupou will be crucial for Rugby World Cup plans over the next 18 months. But for the Wallabies to start building depth at tighthead, Nonggorr needs to add to his one start from 19 caps.

Similarly, how much are we going to ask of James Slipper? With injuries to Blake Schoupp and Tom Robertson, Slipper was coaxed out of retirement as seems to be the Wallabies way in recent times. And he’ll do a job, there’s no doubt about that. But the sooner Slipper can be put back behind the emergency glass, the better the Wallabies’ situation will be.

Angus Bell has enjoyed a good season with Ulster, and he’ll fancy coming up against some clubmates this week. Is there a way to get the best out of Bell at the start of games? He didn’t particularly like coming off the bench last season, but he got so good at providing much-needed impact it didn’t make a lot of sense to move him.

Then there’s Aidan Ross, who was solid if unspectacular in Super Rugby for the Reds, but his selection perhaps best sums up the current state of Australian front-rowers. And that’s before we try and contemplate hooking options, whose form has all fluctuated throughout the season.

If not LSL, then who?

Without question, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto’s non-selection was the biggest talking point from this squad, and while it was interesting to hear Schmidt cite concerns around repeat efforts and lineout work for the big Queensland lock’s omission, the conversation quickly turns to physicality, go-forward and the general brashness on the field ‘LSL’ brings in abundance.

If Salakaia-Loto is not there to provide those elements – which the Wallabies will definitely need – then who will?

This is where one selection decision has far-reaching implications. With a strong expectation Tom Hooper will play a significant role in the coming international season – even if not this weekend against Ireland – no Salakaia-Loto is going to put more importance on Rob Valetini to start and provide those same levels of physicality on both sides of the ball.

That in turn has flow-on implications for the back-row selection, and the high possibility Harry Wilson might be squeezed out. That in itself might be why no captain was named last week.

It also leaves the second-row stocks looking a bit light. Jeremy Williams has played 25 Tests and is a player Schmidt absolutely loves. But with Nick Frost also left out, Josh Canham has just two caps, and Lachie Shaw and Miles Amatosero are both debutants.

There is a train of thought Hooper might be switched to lock, but that would seem a contradictory move. Because if physicality and go-forward is important in the second row, why wouldn’t you let the best player in the country at doing just that, do that?

How to use scrum-half?

Jake Gordon’s Achilles injury was a crushing late-season blow for the NSW Waratahs, but it will also force a major change for the Wallabies. Gordon was very much the perfect solution for Schmidt, offering the best bits of Nic White’s foundation skills and Tate McDermott’s running and attacking instincts.

There’s little argument Ryan Lonergan had his best season of Super Rugby, and his game certainly seems well suited to Test rugby. But his game is different to Gordon’s and McDermott’s, hence the adjustment that will be needed.

Certainly, McDermott coming off the bench last season proved invaluable, and it was a method Schmidt preferred. And the question in 2026 is whether he has enough miles in his legs, being only three games back from a serious hamstring injury.

And if it’s not McDermott starting, it absolutely has to be Lonergan, in which case it will be interesting to note the adjustments in attacking shape.

Do you want function or consistency in midfield?

Do you start Ben Donaldson or Carter Gordon at 10? Is Len Ikitau now only seen as an inside centre? Does the emergence of Filipo Daugunu in midfield for Queensland provide a left-field solution that solves several issues?

The fly-half debate can essentially be summed up as Donaldson’s super consistent year for the Western Force vs Gordon’s abundant potential and the expanded turnover attack the Reds showed this season. With the global needle trending sharply to attack mode, the attraction of Gordon will be obvious.

But the questions around centre pairing are equally intriguing, and however the cards fall this week, the Wallabies will have different midfield compared to last year.

The Daugunu option sticks out here. With Hunter Paisami under an injury cloud, some uncertainty as to whether Ikitau slots straight in, and the eternal question mark over Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s place in the Wallabies side and where that should be, Daugunu in midfield has a certain appeal.

If he was teamed up with Gordon and Josh Flook on his inside and out, you couldn’t argue the combination. The recency, and future-proofing for the upcoming coaching transition only underlines this option.

And how much will the game change from July to August?

This may be the biggest question of all about the Wallabies, and unfortunately, it’s the one we won’t know for another month yet.

It’s been said ever since Kiss was announced as Schmidt’s successor their aligned rugby philosophies would allow for the smoothest of transitions and that could still be the case.

But Queensland of 2026 did look different to Queensland of 2025. Though their improved set-piece in the back half of the season earned them more tries from lineout drive, they weren’t nearly as reliant on the maul as last season. Carter Gordon’s return from his rugby league sabbatical added more instinctive reaction to their attack, and they certainly didn’t kick turnover attack ball away anywhere near as often.

Is this Kiss leaning more toward the all-out attack game? And will that be his major philosophical change once he takes the clipboard full time? These are questions we’ll have to wait a little longer for, but you can’t help but wonder if what might lie ahead starts impacting selection in the present.