Hulking Lukhan Salakaia-Loto might still be out in the cold, but Joe Schmidt has promised the Wallabies won’t be “nice” or “submissive” for their do-or-die Test against the Lions at the MCG on Saturday night.

After losing the physical battle last weekend in the Sunshine State and paying the price on the scoreboard, Schmidt unsurprisingly welcomed back gigantic forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini to his starting side after proving their fitness.

The granite-like duo were two of three changes to the starting XV from that side that went down 27-19 last weekend, with David Porecki’s return at hooker also confirmed on Thursday.

The final addition to the side saw Langi Gleeson return to the bench after missing the encounter because of a cork injury that denied the Wallabies their most explosive forward.

It wasn’t just the edge that was lost with the quartet on the sidelines, but experience and confidence too.

Lions props Tadhg Furlong and Ellis Genge had a field day up front, while Tom Curry – the brilliant English back-rower, who played with a chip on his shoulder – bullied the Wallabies.

The No.7 also got away with murder by laying on a cheap tackle on Tom Lynagh in the air, which only drew a penalty from New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe.

Wallabies enforcer Rob Valetini is back for the second Test. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

It led to many, including former World Cup winner and Lions slayer Matt Burke, saying Schmidt’s Wallabies “just took it” and needed to get in the face of their opponents and highlighted the meek response to Lynagh being belted in the air as one such example.

That point was exemplified on Tuesday as Toutai Kefu’s First Nations and Pasifika side went toe-to-toe with Andy Farrell’s second-string Lions and went within a whisker of pulling off the biggest upset on the tour to date.

Asked if the Wallabies had been too nice, Schmidt said his side certainly didn’t want to roll over and hoped that winning the contact zone would allow them to deliver on their game-plan.

“We didn’t have the intention last week, and we don’t have the intention this week of being submissive,” Schmidt said.

“I just think that they played on the edge really well, they got in amongst us, sometimes just beside us, which made it very hard to play, and we’re hopeful that we will be able to take that to them this week and keep them on the back foot a little bit more.”

He added: “We don’t want to be nice, and we don’t want to be submissive.”

The Wallabies were hit hard by the Lions in their first Test defeat in Brisbane. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Back-to-back John Eales Medallist Valetini will undoubtedly help on that front, with the back-rower one of the few genuine world class at Schmidt’s disposal.

Skelton, 33, also has proved somewhat of a thorn in the backside of the Irish heavy Lions in years gone by for French Top 14 heavyweights La Rochelle.

“I think one of the key things with Will is he’s a very calm influence,” Schmidt said about his one overseas-based Wallaby in his squad. 

“He’s a big man, he’s big-hearted as well. Hopefully not on Saturday, but his experience and his history of being involved in successful teams, particularly with La Rochelle in Europe, I think it just gives other players confidence.

“We’ve got a group of players who haven’t won too much in recent times, whether it’s in Super Rugby or whether it’s internationally, and so I think building confidence is an incremental thing. You’ve got to get small wins here and there.”

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt says his side needs to be connected in defence and wants them to match the Lions’ edge. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Although the First Nations and Pasifika side ruffled some feathers earlier in the week as they gave the Lions a real shake, Schmidt was quick to point out that that physical nature of the game didn’t necessarily translate to accuracy on the field either.

“I thought the First Nations Pasifika team did a fantastic job, but after 31 minutes, they’ve conceded 13 linebreaks,” Schmidt said. “If we do that in a Test match, we could be a lot further behind than the FNP team were on Tuesday evening.

“We’ve got to make sure we get the balance right, that some of that aggressive line speed that they brought, we’ve got to bring that, but we’ve also got to make sure that it’s connected because when you leak like that and they can play in behind you, then it’s very hard to get back in front of them.”

Asked whether Salakaia-Loto’s performance had given him food for thought, Schmidt remained evasive and said the Reds lock had come from a long way with injury despite several others in the Wallabies squad spending longer on the sidelines.

“Well, he wasn’t playing,” Schmidt said.

“He missed the back half of Super Rugby and then he played against the Lions for the Reds and this was a way to get him enough games under his belt to get closer to where we needed him to be.

“I’ve spoken to Lukhan since the game, since the Pasifika game, spoke to him before the game and we’ve got him pretty close by.

“To be fair, I thought Darcy Swain was very good as well. If you have a look back at the lineout and around the field, probably Lukhan captured the headlines, maybe. I’m not sure, but Darcy Swain did really well as well.
“ There’s a couple of guys that we’re certainly still in conversation with and can add value going further ahead and maybe even in the shorter term.”

While Schmidt made three changes to his back, he said he was hoping his unchanged backline benefitted from another week together.

“I guess you’re trying to just reward players who’ve performed well and also build some consistency,” he said.

“It’s our third game in nine months. If you’re chopping and changing too much, then I think you can destabilise your own growth. That’s the last thing we want to do at this stage. Three changes in the pack, that’s significant enough without a whole lot of other changes.

“There were other guys who I felt did really well coming off the bench, who are probably putting pressure on the starters.

“That’s a good situation to have for us.”

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto remains on the outer of the national set-up despite a few big shifts against the Lions. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the Lions have made minor changes to their side with Irish stalwart Bundee Aki replacing Sione Tuipulotu at inside centre. While Owen Farrell provides cover in the inside channels off the bench.

Andrew Porter starts ahead of Ellis Genge, with the English talisman to inject some power off the bench, Ollie Chessum comes into the starting side for the injured Joe McCarthy.

Schmidt said he wasn’t surprised by the Lions’ side and said it reflected “a lot of consistency”.

The second year Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who was a part of the All Blacks’ coaching staff when New Zealand thumped Eddie Jones’ Australian side at the MCG in 2023, said he would “love” his side to fire a shot and make a statement in front of a packed crowd in Melbourne but stressed they needed to play with the same accuracy and fire that they did in the second half in Brisbane to be in the hunt.

“I’d love to see some of the players really extend their own performances,” Schmidt said.

“I honestly felt we saw a little bit of it, particularly in that second half last Saturday, but also I’m a realist. I know that last Saturday will count for nothing at kick-off. Those last 25 minutes, we won’t get to live those again – we’ve got to be able to create those again.”