If you don’t ask, the answer is no, and Joe Schmidt, Les Kiss and Rugby Australia must ask Tom Staniforth an important question…
Do you want to play for the Wallabies? It seems like a tough question to ask the Canberra-born and educated man, but after earning his first call-up to the French team during the Six Nations, it may not be as straightforward an answer as usual.
Staniforth had never faced the Wallabies during his time in Australia, playing for the Brumbies and Waratahs, but he is off Fabian Galthie’s radar with his ridiculous work rate at Castres.
When he packed his bags for France in 2021, the key could not have chosen a more suitable team, where a hard-nosed, aggressive person fits well with a team that does not like to buy silverware but which you cannot rule out – they won the top 14 in 2018 and reached the final in 2022, and reached the final in 2022.
Fast forward to 2026, and after missing the entire season through injury, he is back on the pitch at Castres and, having qualified as a national to represent France, he was immediately called up to the squad that won the 2026 Six Nations.
Did Skelton hit
Crucially, however, he didn’t earn a cap for Les Bleus during the successful campaign, allowing Schmidt, Kiss and Rugby Australia to leapfrog – an opportunity that should be seriously considered after Will Skelton’s strike.
Last weekend, the 33-year-old power forward limped off the field during the first half of La Rochelle’s Top 14 clash against Bayonne – his second outing since sustaining a calf injury for two months at the start of January.
“It is suspected that there is a rupture of the Achilles tendon,” La Rochelle assistant coach Remi Tales told reporters at the weekend.
“It’s difficult for a player like him, given the effort he made to come back from the calf injury. We’re all thinking of him and we hope he recovers quickly, because we need him.”
It’s not just Ronan O’Gara’s charges that ‘need’ Skelton, the Wallabies desperately need him too. Last year, the game dropped significantly when Skelton didn’t play compared to when he did. The British and Irish Lions trials provide a perfect example of that.
Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams were outstanding in his absence, and the likes of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Tom Hooper performed admirably, but neither brought what Skelton brings to the Wallabies pack.
And like last year, the Wallabies need to fill that gap again.
“Time is cut short. Thank you for all your messages,” Skelton wrote on Instagram, delivering the heartbreaking news. “Thank you, I’ll see you next year.”
It will be hoped that he will return early for the Wallabies, but a July recovery is certainly not in the cards, and plans must be made.
Locally, Darcy Swain drew attention to the past and reminisced, but it didn’t go much further than that. Seru Uru, Angus Blyth, and Matt Philip could all do the job, but then again, they’re all different types of players compared to Skelton.
Miles Amatosero, who has also spent time in France, is probably the man to replace him, but he has not yet reached his potential and is a greener option.
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Checking the boxes
Which brings us back to Staniforth, who ticks more Skelton boxes than the other options. In terms of age, he is only two years old from Skelton; he is five centimeters shorter, but the latter has 20kgs on him. Of course, Australia wasn’t going to find a suitable place, but the man who lives in France is very close when it comes to what he has to offer in the park.
Like Skelton, he’s not a linebacker, never mind as the likes of Frost and Williams can afford full-backs Rob Valetini, Hooper and Harry Williams. However, his 21 net team wins castres throw in his 15 games in the Top 14 this season, along with three net steals, means that he is definitely not sloppy and adds something extra to the pack that Skelton could not do.
Similarly, for Skelton, he doesn’t play the full 80 minutes as he averages 49 minutes per game, but he gets a lot of work done in that time. On average, he plays 17 games per game, which is the second highest rate in the league (of players who have played at least 10 games), regularly crosses the line of possession and averages 18 tackles per 80 minutes – ranked among the 15 best in the competition. He’s also not a rack explorer, and collects 136 goals.
Statistically, it is easy to see what he has done to the interest of the French national team, but he has met the eye test and has the body that Galthie likes in his pack, having selected several big locks in the past in the form of Paul Williams, Romain Taofifenua, Emmanuel Meafou and Mickael Guillard.
The latter two came in the Six Nations, with Taofifenua deciding to hang up his test boots, but did not play in the Championship.
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Go before France does
Opportunities in the Test setup will be there for Staniforth as Galthie has been known to rest a number of players during the July internationals, where he could make his mark, but to be honest, the Wallabies need to step up before that happens.
There may be a manager with World Rugby to organize, but going forward, it will be worth the effort. Skelton is a key element in the Wallabies pack, but as mentioned above, they have struggled without him, and Schmidt did not seem keen to explore options beyond Williams and Frost last year, while Salakaia-Loto and Hooper were used sparingly, the head coach also included two back rowers rather than a lock and key on his bench.
Depth is important in international rugby, and the key is clearly an area where the Wallabies are thin, and Staniforth can only be a temporary solution. At 31, he has several years of international rugby ahead of him and could be a stopgap between Skelton and the next powerhouse, perhaps Amatosero.
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Having just re-signed with Castres until the end of the 2026/27 season, Rugby Australia could make the offer to represent the Wallabies even more palatable with the prospect of a return home, especially after the key recently celebrated the birth of his child.
Rugby Australia have dropped their selection policy regarding overseas players, and this is a perfect example of why they have done so, but will the union, current coach and future coach implement it? There is a chance they will, as it will launch in France in July if they don’t.
La Rochelle are reportedly looking for a replacement for Skelton, given the length of time he will be sidelined, targeting Springboks lock Salmaan Moerat and Australia should do the same.
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