{"id":830870,"date":"2026-07-29T08:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/830870\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T08:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:36:15","slug":"wallabies-salakaia-loto-back-in-squad-not-counting-on-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/830870\/","title":{"rendered":"Wallabies: Salakaia-Loto back in squad, not counting on World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto isn\u2019t taking 2027 Rugby World Cup selection for granted despite new Wallabies coach Les Kiss wasting no time in recalling the previously spurned lock to Australia\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n

Salakaia-Loto, 29, seemingly wasn\u2019t a favourite of previous national coach Joe Schmidt, whose tenure ended earlier this month.<\/p>\n

The Reds forward wasn\u2019t chosen for Australia\u2019s recent Nations Championship Tests against Ireland, France and Italy despite being selected in the Super Rugby Pacific team of year.<\/p>\n

Schmidt also controversially overlooked Salakaia-Loto for the Wallabies\u2019 series last year against the British and Irish Lions.<\/p>\n

And while Schmidt did pick him for last November\u2019s tour of Europe, Salakaia-Loto was rarely used.<\/p>\n

Former Reds coach Kiss has greater faith in Salakaia-Loto, having named him in Australia\u2019s 34-man squad for next month\u2019s two Tests against Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just here to try to add as much as I can, and what I know I can add,\u201d the 45-Test strongman said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny opportunity that you\u2019re given to be a part of this squad is special, so to be back involved in the environment, to be back with the lads, and to help continue build to what\u2019s ahead is something that I\u2019m grateful for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salakaia-Loto said while it was \u201cdisappointing\u201d to not be selected for the Wallabies\u2019 recent Tests, the \u201csilver lining\u201d was being able to spend time at home with his family following the birth of his third daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more things to life than just being selected for a team. I was happy to be home with my kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Salakaia-Loto also said he was at \u201cpeace\u201d with not being selected because he had done all he could during Queensland\u2019s Super Rugby Pacific campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t always get what you deserve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t dwell on it too much. It is what it is. If I was to still stress over things that there are no point stressing over, then it would affect what I do off the field or away from it, so it\u2019s nice to be named but it doesn\u2019t guarantee you anything \u2013 it doesn\u2019t really mean anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is therefore not yet thinking about World Cup selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just continue to be myself every day, and put my best foot forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not looking too far ahead. I\u2019ve been in and out, so you can\u2019t be counting your chickens too early.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just take it day by day, see what happens, enjoy the ride and add as much value as I can, and if things come from that, then all good. If not, then it is what it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what I bring to a side, and I know what value I can offer when I\u2019m at my best, so I guess it\u2019s just trying to bring that here, add to the group, and try to pick up where I left off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as Lukhan Salakaia-Loto vows to \u2018add value\u2019 after earning Wallabies recall<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lukhan Salakaia-Loto isn\u2019t taking 2027 Rugby World Cup selection for granted despite new Wallabies coach Les Kiss wasting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":830871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[403943,403933,380143,403919,403915,403935,37610,403922,403921,378194,403929,403912,387445,377225,403938,126806,64,63,1545,403920,2057,380864,403947,403946,403910,376761,403918,191,26779,941,1381,403917,45755,92253,8280,403945,257541,403936,403944,388599,383357,403913,403923,43961,235081,378620,381895,2733,56036,403908,701,216038,403934,403928,403927,760,39277,403926,207712,97575,9672,85,403914,670,403941,403906,403932,403911,51849,377453,384223,403931,403939,403916,146919,403940,403925,403924,6618,2500,41313,403930,403937,403942,403909,403907],"class_list":["post-830870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-s-34-man-squad","tag-s-recent-nations-championship-tests","tag-s-squad","tag-s-super-rugby-pacific-campaign","tag-s-tour","tag-s-two-tests","tag-37610","tag-2027-rugby-world-cup-selection","tag-a-favourite","tag-a-part","tag-a-side","tag-a-super-rugby-standout","tag-a-team","tag-all-year","tag-any-opportunity","tag-anything","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-day","tag-earlier-this-month-the-reds","tag-europe","tag-every-day","tag-france-and-italy","tag-greater-faith","tag-his-chickens","tag-his-family","tag-his-third-daughter","tag-home","tag-ireland","tag-japan","tag-joe-schmidt","tag-last-november","tag-last-year","tag-les-kiss","tag-life","tag-loto","tag-lukhan-salakaia-loto","tag-more-things","tag-much-value","tag-my-best","tag-my-best-foot","tag-my-kids","tag-new-wallabies-coach-les-kiss","tag-newswire-sport","tag-next-month","tag-no-point","tag-no-time","tag-nsw","tag-peace","tag-previous-national-coach-joe-schmidt","tag-queensland","tag-recalled","tag-recalled-wallaby","tag-recent-tests","tag-reds-coach-kiss","tag-rugby","tag-rugby-australia","tag-salakaia-loto","tag-schmidt","tag-selection","tag-series","tag-sports","tag-spurned","tag-sydney","tag-sydney-nsw","tag-the-45-test-strongman","tag-the-birth","tag-the-british-and-irish-lions-and","tag-the-environment","tag-the-field","tag-the-group","tag-the-lads","tag-the-previously-spurned-lock","tag-the-ride","tag-the-silver-lining","tag-the-super-rugby-pacific-team","tag-the-wallabies","tag-this-squad","tag-time","tag-wallabies","tag-wednesday","tag-what-value","tag-whose-tenure","tag-world-cup-selection","tag-year-schmidt","tag-your-chickens"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=830870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/830871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=830870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=830870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=830870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}