Former captain David Porecki is back in the Wallabies team to take on Fiji after lengthy absence
The Wallabies haven't played Fiji since the Pacific Islanders caused one of the great World Cup upsets with a 22-15 win in 2023 which eliminated the Australians and set the scene for former coach Eddie Jones' exit.
Former NRL gun, and rugby's $5m man, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will also play his first Test in Australia as the Wallabies officially launch their campaign ahead of three clashes against the British and Irish Lions.
Porecki was captain for the final three games of that ill-fated campaign in France, the last time he played for the Wallabies and now the Waratahs hooker joins an entirely new-look gteam under coach Joe Schmidt.
The one-off clash with Fiji looms as crucial for the Wallabies to prepare for the three-match showdown with the Lions who have already shown imposing form taking down the Western Force and Queensland Reds.
Reigning John Eales medallist as the Wallabies best player, Rob Valetini was a notable name missing from the team after he succumbed to a calf injury with giant Will Skelton also missing for the same reason.
Reds captain Tate McDermott, who didn't play the Lions, will start at scrum-half and partner Noah Lolesio, who wore the number 10 jersey in 11 of the Wallabies' 13 Tests last year.
'The whole squad has worked hard on and off the field and reconnected well with a short runway from our assembly through to the Test on Sunday against Fiji,' Schmidt said.
'I think the players and the wider management are keen to get underway, especially in front of a big crowd here in Newcastle, as we kick off an exciting but incredibly demanding 2025 Test match schedule.'
Harry Wilson will captain the team while another Wallaby who made his debut on last year's spring tour, Harry Potter has also earned his first test on home soil in a backline which will include 20-year-old Max Jorgensen on the wing and Tom Wright at fullback.
The Wallabies haven't played Fiji since the Pacific Islanders caused one of the great World Cup upsets with a 22-15 win which eliminated the Australians and set the scene for former coach Eddie Jones' exit.
Wallabies team to play Fiji
1. James Slipper
2. David Porecki
3. Allan Alaalatoa
4. Nick Frost
5. Jeremy Williams
6. Langi Gleeson
7. Fraser McReight
8. Harry Wilson (c)
9. Tate McDermott
10. Noah Lolesio
11. Max Jorgensen
12. Len Ikitau
13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii
14. Harry Potter
15. Tom Wright
Substitutes
16. Billy Pollard
17. Angus Bell
18. Zane Nonggorr
19. Tom Hooper
20. Carlo Tizzano
21. Nic White
22. Ben Donaldson
23. Filipo Daugunu
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The Age
13 minutes ago
- The Age
‘A really sharp pain': Martin Johnson on the eternal regret of losing a Lions series
Martin Johnson captained teams to World Cup victories, Six Nations and Grand Slam titles, European Cup wins and multiple English league championships. The imposing English forward even led the British and Irish Lions to a series win in South Africa in 1997. But when he is walking the dog on a quiet afternoon, the memory that will often pop into his head is the one that got away: the 2001 Lions series in Australia. 'The number one regret in my career,' Johnson says. 'Because I always say in rugby, most of the time when you get beaten, you get beaten right? You come off the field and they've been better than you, and you know. And when you win it's because you've been better. 'In '01 they beat us ... but we had a chance you know? When you've got a chance to win a Lion series, you've got to take it. And we didn't.' Which is to say, Lions tours live long in the memory. Perhaps longest. Johnson will be back in Australia in coming weeks for another Lions tour, his first since retiring in 2005, after signing on as a pundit for Stan Sport. He is confident the Lions can get the job done but is wary of the breezy confidence in the UK and Ireland, where many have believed for a while the Lions will whitewash the Wallabies in the three-Test Test series. As with every Lions tour in Australia since 1989 - when the 12-year cycle began - Johnson believes the series will be a 2-1 result, and the Wallabies shouldn't be written off. 'I've spent a lot of my time in the last few weeks and months telling people in this country (England) do not underestimate playing in the Southern Hemisphere, in places like Australia, against very smart rugby players,' Johnson said. 'That sort of thought (of a whitewash) has been there and people just echo it, people who don't really know the detail; 'Oh we're going to do this and do that', and I'm going 'whoa whoa whoa' this is a Lion's tour.' Pain of 2001 Lions tour After being a shock pick to be a 27-year-old captain of the tour to South Africa in 1997, Johnson earned his spot in the Lions' pantheon by leading the team to a series victory. Four years later the Johnson-led Lions were on the cusp of a second series win, after winning the first Test in Brisbane and leading at halftime in the second Test in Melbourne. 'We're 40 minutes away from winning the series and it turned around, I've never been in a Test match that turned so much from first half to second half as that game,' Johnson said, of the Wallabies' rally from 11-6 down to win 35-14. 'Now you're in a dog fight in the last Test, and that game went to and fro, and we lost it.' The agony was embedded for Johnson, too, after Justin Harrison stole a lineout from his grasp in the dying minutes. 'We should have changed it (the lineout call),' Johnson says. 'I've never really watched that game through. But like any Test match, it's good and bad moments, and taking your opportunities.' Johnson returned to Sydney with England two years later and lifted the Rugby World Cup at the same venue, which helped ease the pain. But not erase it. 'It helps, but '01 still sits there. Your losses, they're more sharp, because it's a really sharp pain when you lose,' Johnson said. 'I was fortunate to win stuff as well. You have both sides and I always say, people say you won this you and won that and I say 'yeah but I lost them all, too'. I lost Lions series, Six Nations Tests, World Cup quarterfinals, European Cup finals … every game imaginable, I've lost. So we've had both sides of it and that's the great thing of sport isn't it. It makes the wins special.' Lessons for the Lions The 2001 tour was also one that helped shape the highly professional Lions machine that motors around the world every four years. After an almost semi-pro trip in 1997, Johnson says the subsequent tour of Australia - led by intense coach Graham Henry - was 'hectic', with barely a minute to spare, on or off the field. It contributed to a divided Lions squad. 'In 97 we were just dipping our toes in professionalism, by 2001 things had changed a heck of a lot, just in everything,' Johnson said. 'I remember 2001 distinctly ... just being there's no there's not a minute to do anything. We were having management meetings in airport departure lounges, because we were training, travelling, so much more than in 1997. We weren't used to handling it … it was all hectic and there was never time to catch your breath. Lots of lessons were learned.' The Wallabies threat Having played, and often beaten, the Wallabies during their 'golden era' at the turn of the century, Johnson has a hardwired respect for Australian rugby. 'People ask you what it's like to play against the All Blacks or the Springboks or the Wallabies, and if I give a national trait that carries through with Australian rugby, I always say they are very smart players,' Johnson says. 'In two ways; they're very, very good with their hands, and can all pass-catch. And with smart coaching, as well, they will negate their weaknesses and try and exploit yours better than any other team. In 2003 that wasn't a great Wallaby scrummage, as we know, and yet they nearly won a World Cup. That takes some smarts.' Johnson coached England for 2008-11 as well, and so can appreciate the Wallabies' upset victory at Twickenham in November last year. It re-affirmed his view of the Wallabies' traits: smart and skilled. 'The win at Twickenham you saw exactly that, didn't you?' Johnson said. 'When they had a chance to score tries, some very, very smart handling and bang they're scoring tries. 'So I've been constantly knocking back people's expectations of a comfortable (Lions) victory in Australia, because Lions tours are tough. They are hard.' Johnson said can see another decider unfolding in Sydney on August 2. 'I have picked 2-1,' Johnson said. 'I was talking with [Wallabies great] Michael Lynagh the other day, about when you're playing you'd take the ugliest Test series in history as long as you win it. But when you get a little bit older you, you're sort of like 'let's have a great series for everyone' you know? 'Something to remember and we can say 'wow we were privileged to be there in '25'.' Is Pollock the new Healey? Johnson laughs when you ask what the 2001 version of Martin Johnson would have made of flashy young English backrower Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old was picked for the Lions after an eye-catching season for Northampton, where he became fodder for countless headlines and social media posts via athletic tries and showmanship. More flowed after Pollock's impressive game against the Western Force, which featured a few try assists and a scuffle. 'It's easy to be a grumpy old man isn't it? He went to school fairly local to me here so my I've known about him coming through his school stuff, I've just been aware of him. No one has ever timed the Lions selection better than him,' Johnson said. 'I was doing an event on Saturday, and he became a big topic of discussion. [Former England forward] Ben Kay was there and he said 'look he's great, because he gets people talking about rugby', which is very true. 'He seems to be polarising but I saw some of the things he did against the Western Force and there was some real savvy rugby there. There's also going to be some mistakes and as he plays at the higher level, the intensity, he's going to find out about that. But I'm sure he's going to be able to adapt to it. It's just how quick.' Johnson said while it's easy to judge someone from afar, the only thing that counted was whether he was earning the respect of the Lions squad. He compared Pollock to his provocative former Leicester, England and Lions teammate Austin Healey, who was always a target of fury for rival fans. 'There's the perception of 'oh he's this and he's that',' Johnson said. 'Most of it, he wasn't really - he wouldn't have lasted as long in the teams he played with if he was not a good guy to play with. Loading 'You know that ACT midweek in '01, when we could have got beaten, who dragged the team back? He was one of the guys who dragged it back to win that game, and that matters. 'Henry Pollock, it'll be interesting because there's an expectation around him, that he might feel he has to live up to. But he's a young guy on a Lions tour, and there's plenty of experience around him.'
Sydney Morning Herald
14 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A really sharp pain': Martin Johnson on the eternal regret of losing a Lions series
Martin Johnson captained teams to World Cup victories, Six Nations and Grand Slam titles, European Cup wins and multiple English league championships. The imposing English forward even led the British and Irish Lions to a series win in South Africa in 1997. But when he is walking the dog on a quiet afternoon, the memory that will often pop into his head is the one that got away: the 2001 Lions series in Australia. 'The number one regret in my career,' Johnson says. 'Because I always say in rugby, most of the time when you get beaten, you get beaten right? You come off the field and they've been better than you, and you know. And when you win it's because you've been better. 'In '01 they beat us ... but we had a chance you know? When you've got a chance to win a Lion series, you've got to take it. And we didn't.' Which is to say, Lions tours live long in the memory. Perhaps longest. Johnson will be back in Australia in coming weeks for another Lions tour, his first since retiring in 2005, after signing on as a pundit for Stan Sport. He is confident the Lions can get the job done but is wary of the breezy confidence in the UK and Ireland, where many have believed for a while the Lions will whitewash the Wallabies in the three-Test Test series. As with every Lions tour in Australia since 1989 - when the 12-year cycle began - Johnson believes the series will be a 2-1 result, and the Wallabies shouldn't be written off. 'I've spent a lot of my time in the last few weeks and months telling people in this country (England) do not underestimate playing in the Southern Hemisphere, in places like Australia, against very smart rugby players,' Johnson said. 'That sort of thought (of a whitewash) has been there and people just echo it, people who don't really know the detail; 'Oh we're going to do this and do that', and I'm going 'whoa whoa whoa' this is a Lion's tour.' Pain of 2001 Lions tour After being a shock pick to be a 27-year-old captain of the tour to South Africa in 1997, Johnson earned his spot in the Lions' pantheon by leading the team to a series victory. Four years later the Johnson-led Lions were on the cusp of a second series win, after winning the first Test in Brisbane and leading at halftime in the second Test in Melbourne. 'We're 40 minutes away from winning the series and it turned around, I've never been in a Test match that turned so much from first half to second half as that game,' Johnson said, of the Wallabies' rally from 11-6 down to win 35-14. 'Now you're in a dog fight in the last Test, and that game went to and fro, and we lost it.' The agony was embedded for Johnson, too, after Justin Harrison stole a lineout from his grasp in the dying minutes. 'We should have changed it (the lineout call),' Johnson says. 'I've never really watched that game through. But like any Test match, it's good and bad moments, and taking your opportunities.' Johnson returned to Sydney with England two years later and lifted the Rugby World Cup at the same venue, which helped ease the pain. But not erase it. 'It helps, but '01 still sits there. Your losses, they're more sharp, because it's a really sharp pain when you lose,' Johnson said. 'I was fortunate to win stuff as well. You have both sides and I always say, people say you won this you and won that and I say 'yeah but I lost them all, too'. I lost Lions series, Six Nations Tests, World Cup quarterfinals, European Cup finals … every game imaginable, I've lost. So we've had both sides of it and that's the great thing of sport isn't it. It makes the wins special.' Lessons for the Lions The 2001 tour was also one that helped shape the highly professional Lions machine that motors around the world every four years. After an almost semi-pro trip in 1997, Johnson says the subsequent tour of Australia - led by intense coach Graham Henry - was 'hectic', with barely a minute to spare, on or off the field. It contributed to a divided Lions squad. 'In 97 we were just dipping our toes in professionalism, by 2001 things had changed a heck of a lot, just in everything,' Johnson said. 'I remember 2001 distinctly ... just being there's no there's not a minute to do anything. We were having management meetings in airport departure lounges, because we were training, travelling, so much more than in 1997. We weren't used to handling it … it was all hectic and there was never time to catch your breath. Lots of lessons were learned.' The Wallabies threat Having played, and often beaten, the Wallabies during their 'golden era' at the turn of the century, Johnson has a hardwired respect for Australian rugby. 'People ask you what it's like to play against the All Blacks or the Springboks or the Wallabies, and if I give a national trait that carries through with Australian rugby, I always say they are very smart players,' Johnson says. 'In two ways; they're very, very good with their hands, and can all pass-catch. And with smart coaching, as well, they will negate their weaknesses and try and exploit yours better than any other team. In 2003 that wasn't a great Wallaby scrummage, as we know, and yet they nearly won a World Cup. That takes some smarts.' Johnson coached England for 2008-11 as well, and so can appreciate the Wallabies' upset victory at Twickenham in November last year. It re-affirmed his view of the Wallabies' traits: smart and skilled. 'The win at Twickenham you saw exactly that, didn't you?' Johnson said. 'When they had a chance to score tries, some very, very smart handling and bang they're scoring tries. 'So I've been constantly knocking back people's expectations of a comfortable (Lions) victory in Australia, because Lions tours are tough. They are hard.' Johnson said can see another decider unfolding in Sydney on August 2. 'I have picked 2-1,' Johnson said. 'I was talking with [Wallabies great] Michael Lynagh the other day, about when you're playing you'd take the ugliest Test series in history as long as you win it. But when you get a little bit older you, you're sort of like 'let's have a great series for everyone' you know? 'Something to remember and we can say 'wow we were privileged to be there in '25'.' Is Pollock the new Healey? Johnson laughs when you ask what the 2001 version of Martin Johnson would have made of flashy young English backrower Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old was picked for the Lions after an eye-catching season for Northampton, where he became fodder for countless headlines and social media posts via athletic tries and showmanship. More flowed after Pollock's impressive game against the Western Force, which featured a few try assists and a scuffle. 'It's easy to be a grumpy old man isn't it? He went to school fairly local to me here so my I've known about him coming through his school stuff, I've just been aware of him. No one has ever timed the Lions selection better than him,' Johnson said. 'I was doing an event on Saturday, and he became a big topic of discussion. [Former England forward] Ben Kay was there and he said 'look he's great, because he gets people talking about rugby', which is very true. 'He seems to be polarising but I saw some of the things he did against the Western Force and there was some real savvy rugby there. There's also going to be some mistakes and as he plays at the higher level, the intensity, he's going to find out about that. But I'm sure he's going to be able to adapt to it. It's just how quick.' Johnson said while it's easy to judge someone from afar, the only thing that counted was whether he was earning the respect of the Lions squad. He compared Pollock to his provocative former Leicester, England and Lions teammate Austin Healey, who was always a target of fury for rival fans. 'There's the perception of 'oh he's this and he's that',' Johnson said. 'Most of it, he wasn't really - he wouldn't have lasted as long in the teams he played with if he was not a good guy to play with. Loading 'You know that ACT midweek in '01, when we could have got beaten, who dragged the team back? He was one of the guys who dragged it back to win that game, and that matters. 'Henry Pollock, it'll be interesting because there's an expectation around him, that he might feel he has to live up to. But he's a young guy on a Lions tour, and there's plenty of experience around him.'
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