Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has turned to an unlikely pair of fly-half options after an injury to Ben Donaldson forced the side into changes for their Rugby Championship opener against the Springboks on Sunday (AEST).
Schmidt confirmed Andrew Kellaway and Nic White will serve as playmaker cover behind the returning James O’Connor after an innocuous kick in the second-last play of training caused an injury to Donaldson.
The Wallabies coach revealed O’Connor was slated to start before being replaced by the Western Force playmaker at half-time as part of a 5-3 bench split.
However, the late injury left Schmidt going back to the drawing board as he turns to two of the more experienced players in the squad.
“In the second to last play of the training, ‘Donno’ kicked the ball and pulled up short so we don't know what the extent of the injury is,” Schmidt said.
“We've only been back from training for about an hour so he will get a scan now and we'll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover.
“Nic White can cover ten and is astute enough to do so, Andrew Kellaway has the skill set as well if we go with what we've got at the moment.”
Schmidt hinted they could make further changes to the team to better cover Donaldson’s absence, with several other options available at their disposal, including departing NSW Waratahs flyhalf and recent call-up Tane Edmed.
“We know we've got some versatility in our group, but I think that's something that we're going to look at at the captain's run and just see what best fits for us,” he added.
“…Tane is one of our options, Hunter Paisami played 10 until in the under 20s and then shifted to 12 plus gives us really good midfield cover so there's a few options that we're just going to try to get our best coverage and best confidence from.”
The former Irish coach suggested next week’s clash in Cape Town was being targeted for the incoming Brumby and one-time Wallaby.
“Our intention was probably to potentially give Tane a run next week after having spent the week with us,” Schmidt said.
“It's not a foolproof formula, but it's what we've tended to do with most players who come in fresh but Tane has only had two trainings with us so it's a big ask, but we've got confidence in him.”
