A new key injury plunges the Wallabies into uncertainty, while Joe Schmidt’s physically exhausted and psychologically affected team faces the possibility of a dubious place in Australian sporting history.
From outside the team, Brandon Paenga-Amosa has answered Schmidt’s emergency call to join the bench in the third and final Test of Australia against the British and Irish Lions in Sydney on Saturday.
Billy Pollard has been promoted to the starting team after first-choice hooker David Porecki was ruled out on Friday with a leg injury, with Paenga-Amosa quickly joining the camp to join the team.
This last-minute reshuffle comes after star forwards Allan Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini were already ruled out of one of the Wallabies’ most significant Tests.
A defeat at Accor Stadium would condemn the Wallabies to their first 3-0 series whitewash at home by the Lions since 1904, following the heartbreaking and controversial last-gasp 29-26 loss in Melbourne last Saturday.
To make matters worse for them, Queensland Reds hooker Matt Faessler, initially selected ahead of Pollard as a substitute, was also ruled out after suffering a calf injury during the week.
But Captain Harry Wilson, defiant, has no doubt that the newcomer at the last minute will deliver for the Wallabies and his country.
“He has been leading the non-23s and in every training session he encourages the boys. He does whatever it takes for the team, in every session, in every match.” «(But) once he crosses that white line, he’s a different man. He’s a competitor and he’s loved by the group». The Lions are aiming to sweep a series in Australia for the first time since 1904, but Wilson insists that there has been no talk of being the first Wallabies team in more than a century to suffer such a fate.He is the ultimate competitor, the ultimate team player, especially in the last two years.
Wilson
“Obviously it’s quite unfortunate (this position). Last week we thought we played pretty good football and put ourselves in a position to win that game.” “Ultimately, we didn’t do it, and obviously they want to come out here and be sweepers.” “But we want to go out and get a result for our country, and we’ve had a very good week of preparation.” “We’ve been building ourselves up slowly during the week. Everyone was pretty down at the beginning of the week, but we had a very good Tuesday and Thursday and a lot of energy in the captain’s race today.” “The boys can’t wait.”We want to win every test match we play.
Wilson
