The Wallabies have been hit by another injury setback ahead of this weekend’s Test against Ireland in Dublin.
Powerhouse lock Will Skelton has been ruled out of the remainder of the tour, but in a boost to Joe Schmidt, veteran playmaker James O’Connor has rejoined the squad.
O’Connor, who featured in all six Rugby Championship matches earlier this year, returns to the Australian camp after missing the recent Tests against Japan and England due to club commitments.
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The 35-year-old has been turning out for Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership but is now back in Wallaby gold to bolster Schmidt’s struggling side.
“James O’Connor has joined the squad in Dublin to help the team prepare for the Test against Ireland on Saturday,” the Wallabies confirmed in a squad update.
However, the news was soured by confirmation that Skelton will play no further part in the tour after sustaining an ankle injury for La Rochelle. The towering lock lasted 60 minutes in his club’s 39-14 loss to Toulon before being ruled out.
With Skelton sidelined, Jeremy Williams and Nick Frost are among the options to start in the second row, while Western Force lock Darcy Swain has returned home after covering during the England leg of the tour.
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The Wallabies’ latest personnel shake-up comes amid mounting pressure following a shock 26-19 defeat to Italy in Udine – their fifth loss in six Tests.
“Any loss is disappointing and we’ve accumulated a few now,” said Schmidt after the defeat. “Where do we go from here? I think we have to demonstrate some character and also some cohesion.
“Carter [Gordon] was good but he’s new in and I felt like we lacked a bit of cohesion in the first half and then in the second half we kind of overplayed because we fell behind.
“We’ve got to build that cohesion and we’ve got to demonstrate that real fight that we’ve demonstrated earlier in the season. I know it’s still there.
“We’ve had 13 Test matches, we’ve got two left. They’re two incredibly important Test matches against two big teams, both ranked in that top four in the world so we’ve got to go after those.”
Australia will face Ireland this weekend before ending their tour against France, needing a major turnaround to salvage momentum before the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw next month.
Updates from Dublin.#Wallabies pic.twitter.com/IwEyOnBKXY
— Wallabies (@wallabies) November 10, 2025
Photo: Craig Butland/MB Media/Getty Images
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