A pack that has stopped going backwards
Tom Donnelly spent last November watching the Wallabies lineout wobble through a European tour. Ten months on, the former All Blacks lock thinks he has fixed enough of it to take on the world champions.
“We’re definitely growing,” the Australia forwards and set-piece coach said today, ahead of Sunday’s one-off Test against South Africa in Perth. “I thought, particularly back end of last year, our lineout struggled a wee bit in the north, so we had a real focus on some of our fundamentals around that when we first came into camp.”
The results back him up. Under Les Kiss, Australia are five games unbeaten: a win over Italy, two over Japan, and a win and a draw against Argentina. The end of Joe Schmidt’s tenure looked very different, with a run of six straight defeats spread across last November’s tour and July’s Nations Championship.
Donnelly credited Josh Canham for running the lineout, Jeremy Williams for his work with the locks, and the return of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto for adding experience to a group where places are contested.
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The Springbok scrum problem
The lineout is one thing. The scrum is the real test. South Africa’s forwards bullied New Zealand at set-piece during the recent Greatest Rivalry series, which the Springboks won 3-1.
“We know what’s coming,” Donnelly said. “If we can front up there physically and then be accurate with how we want to execute, then that’ll give us a chance to match it with them really.” He called it the level of intensity Australia expect to meet at next year’s World Cup.
Cale out for the year
Australia will face that without Charlie Cale. The 25-year-old Brumbies back-rower hurt his shoulder at a breakdown in training in Perth last weekend and needs surgery, ruling him out for the rest of 2026. It is a recurrence of an injury from Super Rugby.
Cale won two caps against Wales in 2024, then lost two years to shoulder and back problems. Kiss recalled him in August and he played four straight Tests, scoring in his start against Japan in Townsville.
Nick de Crespigny steps in. Donnelly called him “a pretty similar player” with strong aerial skills, and pointed to the upside for Cale: fixed now, he can start next year’s Super Rugby season healthy with a World Cup in view.
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