Will Skelton is heading back to France. Don’t rule out a Bledisloe Cup return

Will Skelton remains a chance to play in the Bledisloe Cup series against New Zealand next month despite opting to return to France this week to re-join his club La Rochelle ahead of the start of the Top 14 season.

Rugby Australia confirmed the powerhouse lock will fly out of Sydney in the coming days and miss the Wallabies’ upcoming Rugby Championship games against Argentina next week in Townsville, and the following week in Sydney.

Veteran five-eighth James O’Connor, however, is set to delay his plans to join new club Leicester, in England, and play against the Pumas.

The Wallabies arrived back from South Africa on Monday night before regathering on the weekend to travel to North Queensland.

Coach Joe Schmidt will name a squad for the two-Test swing against Argentina on Thursday, but Skelton’s name will not be on that list after completing a 10-week stretch with the Wallabies squad, which saw him play against the British and Irish Lions and in two Tests against the Springboks.

Outside of a World Cup year, they were the first Rugby Championship fixtures Skelton had played since moving overseas in 2016. The giant second-rower said last week he was continuing conversations with Schmidt about being available for more games.

Under World Rugby’s regulation 9, La Rochelle are obliged to let Skelton play, but the 33-year-old, the club, and RA have had rolling negotiations on scenarios that will best serve all parties.

With the Top 14 due to start on September 6, and with Skelton having had no break since the end of the last one in June, it was agreed that Skelton would return to La Rochelle, rest, and prepare for the new season.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Skelton’s Rugby Championship tournament is over.

According to informed sources, the possibility of Skelton returning to the Wallabies squad for the Bledisloe Cup series next month was discussed as recently as last week.

The Wallabies’ form in the Lions series and in South Africa has generated hope about Australia breaking a 23-year Bledisloe Cup drought, and Skelton’s return would help that task.

Whether it is a realistic scenario remains to be seen; Skelton would have just three weeks in France before needing to fly back.

Speaking on the Inside Line show on Stan Sport last week, former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said Skelton would be a huge asset for the Bledisloe campaign, and said RA and La Rochelle should plan how to best deploy the talismanic forward on the run to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

“What RA should be doing is going ‘this guy is pivotal in 2027, so let’s map out what games we need him to be around for’,” Hooper said.

“So we need him around for Bledisloe this year, because the boys are a hell of a shot at that. Doesn’t need to be on the spring tour. Doesn’t need to be at the (July) Tests next year. Maybe comes for a TRC. Maybe comes for Spring Tour next year. And in those windows that Will’s not there, how are we going to get a body that isn’t the same as Will, but can do something similar or just as good in a different way to fit that role?

“This World Cup (is) two years away, but they should be having these conversations now, with someone that important.”

Skelton’s absence for the Tests against the Pumas finally opens a door for the return of another player who had an outstanding month against the Lions - Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.

Salakaia-Loto was overlooked for the Wallabies squad but was a powerhouse in tour games for the Reds, the AUNZ side, and the First Nations and Pasifika side. That form earned the big lock a return to the Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship.

Having signed with the Tigers, O’Connor was due to fly to England this month but won a return to the Wallabies side in South Africa due to Tom Lynagh’s absence. Even with Lynagh set to return from concussion, O’Connor will stay with the squad for at least the next two Tests.

Ben Donaldson won’t be rushed back from an abductor injury, with Tane Edmed having also played strongly off the bench in Cape Town.

Nic White and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (concussions) are both expected to be available for the Townsville clash. White’s retirement may be delayed again, with Jake Gordon (hamstring) not likely to be ready until the second Test against Argentina at Allianz Stadium.

Harry Potter may re-join the Wallabies squad, with Tom Wright to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a ruptured ACL and is set to miss all of Super Rugby Pacific next season.

Watch all the action from the 2025 Rugby Championship on Stan Sport.