The Wallabies departed Tokyo early on Sunday for London, and have plenty of food for thought after their 19-15 win over the Brave Blossoms.
Not only does Joe Schmidt have to consider the wider squad’s fatigue levels and combinations, but he also has major injury concerns at lock, with two losses in Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham.
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Canham was knocked out in the 22nd minute of the match, after coming on as a backup for Salakia-Loto, who went down with an apparent rib injury five minutes into the match.
“It's a good question,” Schmidt conceded when asked about his options at lock.
“With England’s strong pack, it just means that we are light in the second row, and we may need to get some reserves dug out from Australia.
“That's probably our first thought. Josh Canham obviously won't be available next week, and as yet, I don't have the full feedback on Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.
“With them being in the same position, I don't think Nick [Champion de Crespigny] here is that keen to play another 60 minutes of lock, so we do have to find someone else to do it.”
Adding to the headaches, Tom Robertson was also forced from the field with a HIA injury in the second half, with Zane Nonggorr putting in a huge shift at tighthead prop as a result.
However, despite the concerns, Schmidt has quality options available to him in both positions, with Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou in camp and available to play should Robertson be sidelined.
On the locks front, Nick Frost is also in camp, meaning Schmidt could call upon the likes of Darcy Swain and Matt Philip, with both featuring in the Australia A squad that played last week, coming off a full season of Super Rugby AUS.
Then, there are the likes of Tom Hooper and Will Skelton overseas, and while the latter likely won’t be available until after the match at Twickenham under World Rugby regulations, the former could be considered, given he plays for English side Exeter Chiefs
It gives the Wallabies food for thought - and plenty to reflect on after a big match in Tokyo.
“With 13 changes and losing two locks early on, it did become difficult for us,” Schmidt added in the post-match presser.
“We reviewed them, and we knew they were going to be really combative. They're a really technical, great low-chop team, and they worked really hard for each other, so full credit to them.”
"[It was] a really tight contest in some tough conditions," said captain Nick Champion de Crespigny.
"Full respect to Japan, we knew they were going to be a quality side and they definitely proved that today.
“I think there were some moments that we probably let slip. We lost some fundamentals and probably played the game a bit too much down our end. We'll review really hard and prepare for next week in England.”
“There was nothing surprising about how competitive they were, how combative they were,” Schmidt echoed.
“We made them defend in the first quarter of the game a lot, and they measured up.
“We got very close to scoring, maybe even got some, but couldn't quite get that separation on the scoreboard. Just with the grit they have, the dynamic, they got off the line and forced us back a few times. They were really impressive during that period of defence.
“We had a lot to learn from them.”
