Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has won his battle to be fit for Australia’s final Test of their British Isles tour and will hope to bow out against Ireland in the spectacular fashion that he began on his debut against England.
Coach Joe Schmidt, hoping to down the team he once led to glory for six years, has also offered up one final surprise selection to finish the rugby year as he’s primed to make replacement fly-half Tane Edmed the Wallabies’ record-extending 19th debutant of 2024.
Hoping for a power-packed finish up front against the world’s No 2 side Ireland, Taniela Tupou has overcome his calf problem to prop the scrum with veteran James Slipper while Fraser McReight, who was missed when rested against Scotland, is a key recall.
Tupou and Slipper will be experienced pillars, sandwiching hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who will also start in the absence of still injured Matt Faessler. Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams link up in the second row, after Williams recovered from the illness that ruled him out against Scotland, with Angus Bell and Allan Alaalatoa should be powerful assets in the front row off the bench.
Suaalii had looked hugely unlikely to make it for Saturday’s fourth and final leg of the tour when his thunderous hit on Sione Tuipulotu in the defeat against Scotland left him with an injured arm that was initially feared to be fractured. But he avoided a break, has recovered well, with Schmidt keen to give the cross-code convert a run in his fourth match of the tour after only getting limited minutes following his blistering debut in the win over England.
Noah Lolesio has cemented his place on tour as the premier five-eighth but had an ordinary game against Scotland, with Edmed, the 24-year-old Waratahs prospect, given an opportunity to shadow him in preference to Ben Donaldson. If the son of the former Balmain Tigers NRL star Steve Edmed does get a run to become Australian international No 990, he’ll extend the extraordinary sequence of Wallaby debutants in 2024 after Harry Potter got selected against Scotland.
Potter, though, is back on the bench with Max Jorgensen recalled to the left wing berth as Schmidt explained his determination to make it a special night for Australia while the home side celebrate the 150th anniversary of Irish Rugby. “It’s been a challenging year where we have grown a bit as a squad, and we have an opportunity to challenge ourselves again against what is a settled and cohesive Ireland team,” said Schmidt.
Ireland, meanwhile, have retained Sam Prendergast at fly-half for the Test, offering another opportunity to the 21-year-old to impress after an eye-catching showing in last weekend’s 52-17 win over Fiji. Coach Andy Farrell has restored five players who were rested against Fiji but first choice fly-half Jack Crowley has to be content with a place among the replacements.
Crowley has emerged as the successor to Johnny Sexton, who retired after last year’s World Cup, but Prendergast’s performance last Saturday drew effusive praise from the coach and the temptation to have another look at his potential. A highly touted prospect, Prendergast has only started eight games for Leinster, coming through their academy and starring for the Ireland under-20s side which won a grand slam and reached the World Cup final two seasons ago.
Quick Guide
Ireland v Australia teams
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Ireland team: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, 12-Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park, Caelan Doris (capt), Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Joe McCarthy, Finlay Bealham, Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose.
Australia team: Tom Wright; Andrew Kellaway, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen; Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou; Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight; Harry Wilson (capt)
Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Tane Edmed, Harry Potter.
Cian Healy returns to the match-day squad as a replacement to stand in line to win his 134th cap, thereby eclipsing Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland’s most capped player of all time. “Cian is a giant of Irish rugby and we are determined to provide him with a performance that he deserves,” said Farrell.
Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park all return to the backline, while among the forwards Ronan Kelleher is back at hooker and James Ryan at lock. Tadhg Beirne moves from the second row last week to blindside flanker. The Six Nations champions relinquished their 19-game home unbeaten run against New Zealand in the first of four November internationals before a narrow victory over Argentina and then a more convincing triumph over Fiji over the last two weekends.