Wallabies lock Will Skelton is out to prove he is worthy of Rugby World Cup selection next year, admitting his performances in Test match rugby have never hit the same heights as what he has produced at club level.
Skelton joined the Wallabies at their Saint Etienne base on Sunday, the towering second-rower released by French club La Rochelle for matches against France, Italy and Ireland given they fall inside World Rugby’s official Test-match window.
It is the second straight year Skelton has linked up with the Wallabies in Europe, but after seeing only sparing minutes off the bench in 2021, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has indicated the 2014 Super Rugby winner will get an increase in game time over the next few weeks.
And that is welcomed news for Skelton, who admits he wasn’t able to impact last year’s matches against England and Wales in the fashion he had hoped. In fact, in his 21 Test matches, Skelton has never felt as though he has been able to reproduce the kind of club form that has seen him twice nominated for European Player of the Year.
“I don’t think I’ve been the happiest with my form coming into the international team, I don’t think I’ve played my best,” Skelton told reporters on Tuesday. “It is tough to come in just for three games, but you see other countries doing it, too, and they’re performing well. So I think that’s probably down to my preparation and getting it right for that week.
“Last year was a tough one, my first few days was just all learnings, trying to get the detail down and then during the match it sort of didn’t fall our way. I think other than that, we were just trying to build the foundation, especially for myself, trying to get all the calls nailed down to hopefully be available [for the World Cup] next year.”
Skelton was a key part of La Rochelle’s run to European Rugby Championship glory last season after the French club had been pipped in the final the season before.
But it was at Saracens where his European success first began, the lock joining a powerhouse club where he played alongside the likes of England stars Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje and went on to join an elite group of players to win both Super Rugby and European titles.
At 30 years of age, into his sixth European season, Skelton should be hitting his peak as a second-rower. And with the Wallabies battling injury, suspension and the restrictions of the Giteau Law at lock, he appears primed to bring his power running and physicality to the Australian pack.
“It was good to get reacquainted with some mates I haven’t seen in a while,” Skelton said of his reintroduction to the squad.
“As for being a leader, I think with experience that is the role that is thrust upon you. But for me it’s just about trying to add when I come in here, to add value to the team where I can.”
Given the performances of both Nick Frost and Cadeyrn Neville in Australia’s dramatic 16-15 win over Scotland, Rennie faces a tough decision between rewarding the duo with another start or teaming one of the Brumbies locks with Skelton.
Against a big French pack, Skelton’s larger frame may tip the selection in his favour, while the La Rochelle star also has some key insights into the French rugby psyche and some of their frontline stars from his time in the Top 14.
“Very talented team, the French; [Antoine] Dupont is the best player in the world,” Skelton said. “Guys like Gregory Alldritt, [Julien] Marchand, great over the ball; they’ve got talent everywhere all over the field.
“So for us, it will be trying to stick to our systems, being strong in defence, staying connected, I think that will be one of the main things this week.”
France are riding a 10-game winning streak, with Fabien Galthie’s side having not tasted defeat since their loss to Australia in the third Test in Brisbane last year.
But Les Bleus were without many of their first-choice players on that tour, and the Wallabies have never faced dynamic halves du Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack who were at the forefront of their Six Nations Grand Slam triumph earlier this year.
The Wallabies will name their 23 for the Stade de France on Thursday evening [AEDT].