Fresh from showing his wares against the British and Irish Lions, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham are set to link back up with the Wallabies as Joe Schmidt sweats on the availability of fellow lock Will Skelton.
Although Wallabies officials have declined to comment on the update, sources have told The Roar the lock who is a giant in European rugby, having dominated for La Rochelle and Saracens, is in major doubt for the July 19 opener against the Lions.
It’s partly why Salakaia-Loto and Canham were at Brisbane Airport on Thursday afternoon preparing to fly south of the border to link up with their Test teammates, The Roar can reveal.
While the locks will merely serve as extra training numbers and won’t take to the field against Fiji, the fact they’ve been called in at this late stage could be a sign that the Wallabies are anxious about Skelton’s availability going forward. Both locks will also likely play in the AUNZ clash against the Lions on July 12 in Adelaide.
Given the physical threat the Lions pose, even a short stint on the sidelines for Skelton would be a blow to Schmidt and his plans to cause an upset over the next month.
Already the Lions have shown how big a task it will be to match them, having worn down the Reds on Wednesday night through their brutal and unwavering nature. It came despite Les Kiss having 11 internationals, including nine across the pack, on his side.
Former Wallabies captain James Horwill said the Lions’ 52-12 win was an “ominous warning” for Schmidt’s men.
Will Skelton is racing the clock to be fit against the Lions. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Salakaia-Loto was one of the big omissions when Schmidt named his 36-man squad to take on the Flying Fijians in Newcastle.
His axing came after the lock, who featured in 11 of the Wallabies’ 13 Tests in 2024, missed the second half of the Super Rugby season with a shoulder injury.
Speaking ahead of the Lions fixture, Salakaia-Loto, who spent a stint in England with Northampton before returning to Australia ahead of the 2024 season, said he needed “a bit of time” to get his shoulder right but didn’t feel like he had anything to prove.
“I know what I’m capable of, and I’m looking forward to showcasing that,” he told reporters.
He added: “I’m not there to prove anything. I know where I belong.”
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is set to fly to NSW to link up with the Wallabies ahead of Sunday’s first Test of the year. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the 41-Test lock was one of the Reds’ stronger performers as he battered into the Lions’ brick wall defence on several occasions and showed his quality at the lineout.
Wallabies-coach-in-waiting Kiss said that much of the Reds’ early success came off the back of Salakaia-Loto.
“I thought Lukhan was critical for a lot of the parts when we started to dent them early on,” Kiss said.
On Canham, Kiss added: “I think he played well. He got a bit tired later, but it was fairly torrid up front in the tight-five. But I thought he carried and put his nose through the line and created some opportunities for us. He’s only going to get better because of the physicality that he brings to the game and I thought he showed that tonight. And he’s very skilful, just choosing how he uses his skill is his big work-on.”
Kiss commented that the Lions’ power game was something that the Wallabies would have to match if they were to be any chance of beating the famed touring side.
“Well, we started well, we couldn’t continue it,” Kiss said.
“We gave them access, then we had the bend a lot, so that takes it out of you. They were on the front foot. So it sort of gradually got on top through our own doing, but also when we had a chance to get on top they were fresher to hit us with tackles.
“I don’t think the possession rate was far off, but they did make a lot of metres in their carries. It wasn’t through the lack of intent and guts and determination, it was just when their power comes in singles, and then you have one or two big powerful boys, it created a bit of momentum for them.”
Bundee Aki was a wrecking ball for the Lions against the Reds during their big win at Suncorp Stadium on July 02, 2025. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Schmidt will name his side for Sunday’s clash against Fiji on Friday in Newcastle.
The clash will be the first time the two sides have met since Fiji stunned Eddie Jones’ Wallabies 22-15 in the pool stages of the 2023 World Cup. It was the Wallabies’ first defeat to Fiji in 69 years.
