Australia have been reinforced by the return of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini for their do-or-die second Test against the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne on Saturday.
Skelton and Valetini have recovered from the calf injuries that forced them to miss the series opener at Suncorp Stadium to take their places in the second row and at blindside flanker respectively.
It is a significant boost to the Wallabies, who rely on the powerful ball carriers to break the gainline, and their absence led to the pack being outmuscled in the first Test.
And in more welcome news for Australia, who are playing to keep the series alive, first choice hooker Dave Porecki will make his comeback from concussion at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The backline is unchanged, with Tom Lynagh, son of Wallabies great Michael Lynagh, continuing at fly-half and there is a six-two split between forwards and backs on the bench.
The Lions survived a scare against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on Tuesday and the invitational side’s ultra-physical style has been talked up as providing the blueprint for toppling Andy Farrell’s tourists.
However, head coach Joe Schmidt insists their approach was too risky for a Test.
“We don’t want to be nice and we don’t want to be submissive,” Schmidt said.
“The First Nations Pasifika team did a fantastic job, but after 31 minutes they’ve conceded 13 line breaks.
“If we do that in a Test match, we could be a lot further behind than the FNP team were on Tuesday evening. So we’ve got to make sure we get the balance right.
“We’ve got bring some of that aggressive line speed that they brought, but we’ve also got to make sure that it’s connected because when you leak like that and they can play in behind you, then it’s very hard to get back in front of them.
“So 13 line breaks to two, after 30 minutes – we can’t afford to have that stat.”
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 24, 2025
Australia team to face Lions in 2nd Test
Forwards: 1 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 4 Nick Frost, 5 Will Skelton, 6 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson (Captain)
Backs: 9 Jake Gordon, 10 Tom Lynagh, 11 Harry Potter, 12 Len Ikitau, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 14 Max Jorgensen, 15 Tom Wright
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Carlo Tizzano, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Ben Donaldson