The Wallabies’ quest to end the Eden Park fortress has copped a whack after Andrew Kellaway went down at training on Tuesday.
The Roar understands Kellaway was due to form a back three trio alongside Harry Potter and Max Jorgensen, before the fullback went down with a suspected calf injury. The setback has seen Joe Schmidt recall Corey Toole just hours after leaving him out of the Bledisloe opener in Auckland.
Elsewhere, The Roar can reveal that James O’Connor is set to return to the No.10 jersey and form a new-look halves combination alongside Jake Gordon. Tane Edmed is expected to earn the nod on the bench ahead of Tom Lynagh.
Len Ikitau is also set to return to the midfield alongside Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii after missing the 28-26 loss to Argentina in Sydney earlier this month.
The overhauled backline, which will see Potter and Gordon play for the first time since the second Lions Test in Melbourne, contrasts the relative stability up front.
Tom Hooper is set to return to blindside flanker to fill the void left by Rob Valetini (calf), while Nick Frost will return to the second-row to partner Jeremy Williams. It’s believed Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will offer impact from the bench.
James O’Connor will play the All Blacks for the first time since 2020. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
In other news, Allan Alaalatoa, who also injured his shoulder during the heartbreaking second Test loss to the Lions, is also set to return to the side after missing the past five Tests.
The injury setbacks come at the worst possible time, with the All Blacks struggling to get their game going after losing two of their past three Tests in The Rugby Championship.
And while the All Blacks are on a 31-year, 51-Test unbeaten streak at Eden Park, the momentum behind Schmidt’s side had led many to believe the Wallabies would give Scott Robertson’s side a real shake on Saturday evening.
The injury-forced backline shuffle will soften expectations.
Not only are the All Blacks due to welcome back regular starters Codie Taylor and Cam Roigard, but the Wallabies’ back three has changed considerably over the past month since Tom Wright suffered his devastating ACL injury in South Africa.
While Jorgensen grew up playing fullback and spent considerable time in the No.15 jersey for the Wallabies in his first two seasons of Super Rugby, the immensely talented outside back has played at fullback just once in 2025 – a 13-minute outing, before going down against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
Now, he’ll likely go up against one of the most lethal fullbacks in the world, with Will Jordan likely to return to the No.15 jersey after being shifted to the wing during their heavy loss to South Africa in Wellington.
The decision to turn to Potter indicates that the Wallabies will hope to exploit the All Blacks’ frailties in the air, with the Waratahs-bound flyer one of the best in the air in Australian rugby.
Andrew Kellaway will miss the Test against the All Blacks. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
But for the Wallabies to stand a chance of snapping their own 39-year drought at Eden Park against the All Blacks, Schmidt’s men will need to keep on the right side of Andrea Piardi’s whistle after being blown off the park over the past few weeks.
Wallabies assistant coach Tom Donnelly said the key to turning around their recent performances was winning the battle up front.
“We weren’t probably dominating collisions as well as we had in the previous two games,” Donnelly told reporters on Tuesday.
“When you don’t dominate collisions, sometimes you get caught in poor positions and you give away penalties. That’s probably one of the major reasons.”
That hope won’t be helped by the absence of Will Skelton and Valetini, who helped turn the course of the Lions series when they made their thunderous returns in Melbourne.
Christy Doranhttps://https://ift.tt/cdsxNzG: JOC set to start against All Blacks as Wallabies forced into backline changes after fresh injury setback
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