‘Have you got a problem with that?’ Skelton, Tupou to miss must-win clash as Jones defends mind games

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Saint-Etienne: Wallabies captain Will Skelton and influential tight-head prop Taniela Tupou will miss the must-win World Cup match against Wales on Sunday (Monday AEST) due to injury but could feature later in the tournament, according to coach Eddie Jones.

After the opening 35-15 victory against Georgia, Skelton and Tupou were both due to start against Fiji in Saint-Etienne but picked up injuries at training during the week that forced them out of Sunday’s crucial pool match.

Skelton (calf) and Tupou (hamstring) were in the stands at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard as the Wallabies slumped to a disastrous 22-15 defeat against a spirited Fiji outfit.

The Wallabies will now be without two of their best players for a game against Wales they must win to have a chance of making a quarter-final.

“Neither of those will be available for Wales,” Jones said.

Pressed on whether either would be ruled out for the tournament, Jones indicated they could still take part in later games.

Will Skelton walks in a moonboot ahead of Australia’s loss to Fiji in Saint-Eteinne. Credit: Getty

After the Wales fixture in Lyon, the Wallabies face Portugal (October 1) in their final pool game before a potential quarter-final on the weekend of October 14-15.

Skelton was named in Australia’s starting side against Fiji on Friday, moments before Jones told reporters the second-rower was awaiting scans after going down at training on Thursday.

Jones and the Wallabies insisted Skelton was still a chance to play and refused to officially rule him out hours before kick-off, with assistant coach Dan Palmer saying there were no “mind games” at play.

Skelton was officially scratched from the team 70 minutes before kick-off, with Richie Arnold coming into the starting side and Matt Philip earning a spot on the bench.

Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou. Credit: Getty

Jones defended the call to keep the information about Skelton’s availability inside the team.

“Well, we wanted to try to get him right if we could,” Jones said. “Under regulations, we only need to name a team an hour before kick-off, so all we’re doing is being good boys and following the regulations of the tournament. Have you got a problem with that … following the regulations of the tournament?

“We can’t blame the loss on Skelton not being there. We’ve got to be good enough to be able to cope with that.”

Meanwhile, Jones is confident halfback and vice-captain Tate McDermott will be fit to take the field against Wales after his concussion against Georgia.

Eddie Jones during the game against Fiji.Credit: Getty

McDermott is likely to captain the side in Skelton’s absence. Hooker Dave Porecki filled the role against Fiji.

“Obviously, it’s an honour for me to lead [the team] and we would have liked to have a win but back to the drawing board,” Porecki said.

Australia could also be without reserve hooker Jordan Uelese, who came off in the 65th minute with what appeared to be a head knock after an awkward bump during a tackle.

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