Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt is set to name captain Harry Wilson in the starting line-up for their Rugby Championship clash against Argentina on Saturday.
Australia’s skipper played a starring role in their shock victory over the Springboks in Johannesburg, before missing the next fixture in Cape Town.
Wilson pulled up after completing his brace in the 38-22 Ellis Park triumph and worryingly limped off.
Schmidt was confident that it was not serious, however, and according to The Roar, he will return to number eight for the encounter with Los Pumas in Townsville on Saturday.
Shuffle in the Wallabies back five
Rob Valetini took on the role at the base of the scrum in Wilson’s absence, but now looks set to shift to blindside flanker.
That means Tom Hooper, who has been one of the Wallabies’ big positives this season, will not be part of the loose forward combination.
Hooper should instead benefit from Will Skelton’s absence and be named alongside Nick Frost in the second-row.
It has already been confirmed that Skelton will miss the games against Argentina, having returned to club side La Rochelle with no guarantee that he will return for the Bledisloe Cup.
That potentially opened the door for Lukhan Salakaia-Loto to play his first Wallabies Test since November last year, particularly given that he fulfils that power role in the engine room, but he appears to have been overlooked once again.
Jeremy Williams will therefore likely reprise the bench role for Australia’s Rugby Championship showdown with Argentina this weekend.
Replacement for Tom Wright
Meanwhile, behind the scrum, Schmidt needs to name a replacement for Tom Wright, who suffered an ACL injury early on in the second Test against the Boks and looks set to miss the rest of the year.
It is understood that Andrew Kellaway will take Wright’s position at full-back, with the head coach deciding not to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre.
Suaalii played mostly at 15 for the Waratahs in Super Rugby, but Schmidt prefers him at 13, and it is a decision which has paid off this Test season.
The 22-year-old failed a HIA in the Cape Town clash, but he has recovered from that to continue his midfield partnership with Len Ikitau.
Nic White was another individual to sustain a head injury a week-and-a-half ago, but he, too, should be good to go and reprise his playmaking combination with James O’Connor.