Donaldson also dropped out of the 23-man squad after starting in Santa Fe, with Lolesio returning after a back injury and Tom Lynagh preferred as back-up five-eighth. Schmidt has kept Tate McDermott on the bench, too, to maintain the Reds’ halves combination.
Tom Wright’s return sees Andrew Kellaway shift back to the wing, and Max Jorgensen left out of the squad. Dylan Pietsch has been named on the bench, with Jorgensen having been sick this week.
Having missed two Tests with a knee injury, Hunter Paisami passed a fitness test and will line up at no.12, meaning Hamish Stewart drops out.
On the bench, abrasive lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto returns to add ballast.
Brandon Paenga-Amosa carrying the ball against Argentina in 2020.Credit: Getty
Stocky hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa was named on the bench for his first Test match since 2021. Paenga-Amosa featured in 14 Tests for the Wallabies before moving to France in 2021, where he played three seasons for Montpellier. The 28-year-old recently returned and signed with the Western Force for 2025.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said in a statement: “The players have reconnected well this week for our last game on home soil this year. We’ve acknowledged the poor finish to our time in Argentina and we’re keen to turn that around on what will be a particularly special day for James and his family.“
Meanwhile, Wallabies assistant coach and former British and Irish Lion Geoff Parling has rejected the “extreme” opinions of former teammates that Australia are too weak to challenge the Lions next year and that the famous touring side would be better playing South Africa instead.
Tom Wright will be back for the Wallabies in Sydney.Credit: Getty Images
Having played lock for the Lions on their victorious tour of Australia in 2013, Parling will be in the rival camp for the Lions next year, and he shot back at recent criticism that the Wallabies will be easy-beats.
In the wake of Australia’s loss in Argentina, former England halfback Ben Youngs derided the Wallabies on a podcast with another of Parling’s former teammates, Dan Cole, and said the Lions would be better off touring South Africa. Former England fly-half Andy Goode agreed on a different podcast, and said the Wallabies are “shite”.
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“I think some people can get extreme off the back of certain results, which I understand. But I would just move on from there,” Parling said.
“Look, I know those blokes well. Maybe they’re just trying to get some more listeners.
“I’ve played in a Lions series before. I’m telling you, for me, my belief will be a competitive series. We know we’ve got work to do, but I think it will be a fantastic series. I know people are coming over already, booked to come to this beautiful country that’s Australia. I think it’s going to be a great series.”
Parling said the review process from Santa Fe had been effective in outlining to players the origin of each mistake that contributed to the side’s extraordinary collapse in the last 50 minutes in which the Pumas scored 64-7 points.
Geoff Parling runs his eye over Wallabies training. Credit: Andrew Phan/Wallabies Media
The Wallabies have attempted to focus, too, on the positives of a backward step (or three) in an otherwise steady process of incremental growth under Schmidt.
Parling’s work, in particular, has been strong. Stats show the Wallabies have the best lineout in the Rugby Championship, and the best defensive lineout too.
“When a team first comes together, it’s very rare that, isn’t it? [That] it’s all upwards, upwards, upwards, very rare,” Parling said.
Watch all the action from The Rugby Championship with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport. Round 5 kicks off this weekend with Wallabies v All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup (Saturday 3pm AEST) and Argentina v South Africa (Sunday 6:50am AEST).