With the Wallabies falling away in the back half of their 25-7 loss against England, head coach Joe Schmidt is set to call on the overseas Australian contingent to try and turn around fortunes.
Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper will join the squad in Italy ahead of their 2022 rematch with the Azzurri that saw the Italians claim their maiden victory over the Wallabies, with World Cup ranking calculations also sitting in the background.
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However, as of Sunday, there has been no confirmation on whether Will Skelton and James O’Connor will join them, with Schmidt confirming in the post-match presser that the latter is currently on holiday.
“Len [Ikitau] and Tom Hooper were both at the game today in with the team, so they're not far away,” Schmidt confirmed with reporters.
“I think James is on holiday, but he is coming back from holiday. He played a lot during the Lions, TRC straight into Leicester, so for him to get a break was the best thing.”
Despite being on the wrong side of multiple metrics, the Wallabies were in the game for much of the match thanks to a late intercept try from Harry Potter.
However, Schmidt conceded the depth on the bench made a difference, with England coach Steve Borthwick bringing six Lions off the bench and effectively utilising the aerial contest.
However, he believes the experience gained will significantly help the Wallabies' depth long term.
“I did think that the bench made a difference from England,” Schmidt said.
“They really did step up the level of intensity and the physical combat that they brought. Until that time, I thought the game was really well balanced.
“I think from a couple of kicks, there were a couple of tries, but I felt there was some really good work from our players in the air. It's something that everyone has to just keep working on because they were the two entry points for England into the game.
“All we can do is try to freshen players from week to week and obviously, you get a little bit of attrition from week to week with a few guys picking up injuries and not being available.
“We don't want to make excuses. England were very, very good tonight.
“The bench that they brought on, I think six British and Irish Lions off the bench. That's strength in depth. That's something we're trying to build in Australia, but that takes a bit of time.
“[For] some guys today, that's a great opportunity for some of those other players to get that experience.
“I felt Tame Edmed, for example, I thought he acquitted himself really well in moments of the game, and then probably will learn some things from the game. That learning is what you're investing in players for the future, and I still think that we'll get something out of the game.
“I know the dressing room is disappointed, Harry is disappointed, we all are, but there are two things that probably stick out to me. We didn't give up, we kept trying.”
“It was obviously really disappointing from us tonight,” captain Harry Wilson added.
“The beauty of a five-game tour we do have next week, and I know the group's going to be really motivated to improve because we've got to be a hell of a lot better than what we were tonight.
“It's a very disappointing changing room at the moment, but I know once we hit the ground in Italy, we'll be very easy to motivate everyone for what will be a very tough test match.”
Ikitau and Hooper’s inclusion in the squad comes at a critical time, their upcoming clash against Italy marking nearly three years to the day since the two sides last met in Florence.
That day in 2022, the Italians achieved a historic 28-27 maiden win over the Wallabies, a result that proved fatal for Dave Rennie’s time as Wallaby coach.
Having since scored similar victories over Scotland, Japan, and Wales since then, the Azzurri have become a much-improved side under head coach Gonzalo Quesada.
Should the Wallabies lose in Udine, it would be a catastrophic result in the context of the side’s top-six finish aspirations.
“I think we've demonstrated ability with a full squad that we can knock teams over, and we've got to build the depth in behind that squad,” Schmidt affirmed, looking ahead.
“This tour is really part of that. Italy will be very tough. They were one score away from England at half-time last time they played them.
“We are mindful of what happened last time we went to Italy.
“I am because I've looked back at that game, and I caught up with Dave Rennie in Japan, and we discussed it briefly.
“All we can affect now is how well we prepare to go into that game and be as competitive and get the performance that's more accurate than what we feel we put out tonight.”
