Australia A Squad Named for USA Tour: Faessler Captains, 12 Wallabies Return

Spare Parts, Stars and Stripes: Larkham’s Lot Load Up for Nashville

Rugby Australia has named a 27-man Australia A squad for a two-Test tour of the United States. Twelve Wallabies are among the selections, and Reds front-rower Matt Faessler has the armband. That last bit is no shock. Faessler led the last Australia A outing to a 71-7 belting of a Japan XV in Osaka, and captains who win by 64 tend to get asked back.

The squad was picked jointly by the Wallabies and Australia A coaching staff. It flies out on 18 October, the day after the Wallabies host New Zealand in Sydney.

The Fixtures

• Australia A v USA Eagles – Geodis Park Stadium, Nashville. 9:00am AEST (10:00am AEDT), Sunday 25 October
• Australia A v USA Eagles – Sports Illustrated Stadium, New Jersey. 10:00am AEST (11:00am AEDT), Saturday 31 October

Don’t treat these as a gentle American sightseeing tour. The Eagles went unbeaten in three July Tests at the new World Rugby Nations Cup, and they’ll be licking their lips at a scalp with Australia written on it.

The Squad

Forwards (16): Miles Amatosero (Waratahs), Joe Brial (Reds), Ethan Dobbins (Waratahs), Eamon Doyle (Waratahs), Matt Faessler (c) (Reds), Nick Frost (Brumbies), Will Harris (Force), Lington Ieli (Brumbies), Tom Lambert (Reds), Lachlan Lonergan (Brumbies), Toby Macpherson (Brumbies), Zane Nonggorr (Reds), Luke Reimer (Waratahs), Tom Robertson (Force), Rory Scott (Brumbies), Rhys van Nek (Brumbies)

Backs (11): Lachie Anderson (Reds), Tane Edmed (Brumbies), David Feliuai (Brumbies), Mac Grealy (Force), Nathan Hastie (Force), Tom Lynagh (Reds), Dylan Pietsch (Force), Kadin Pritchard (Brumbies), Tim Ryan (Reds), Kalani Thomas (Reds), Corey Toole (Brumbies)

Development Squad or Rehab Ward?

Experience Over Excitement Has the Faithful Fuming

Here’s the debate. Is Australia A meant to find the next Wallaby, or to keep the current fringe ones from going rusty?

This squad leans hard toward the second. Capped locks Miles Amatosero and Nick Frost are here. So are front-rowers Tom Robertson and Lachlan Lonergan, flanker Luke Reimer, and internationally experienced backs Tom Lynagh, Tane Edmed and Dylan Pietsch. Kalani Thomas and Zane Nonggorr have spent most of the Test season inside the Wallabies camp, and it looks like they’re going explicitly to get minutes in their legs.

Plenty of the faithful would be forgiven for finding the result a bit beige. Their argument is that South Africa A blood their young guns early when they see a Test future in them, and Australia should do the same. That means names like Jack Barrett, Boston Fakafanua and Jarrah McLeod getting a run, rather than more familiarity for blokes the coaches already know inside out. Feliuai’s selection over McLeod has drawn particular grumbling, along with a suspicion that the Brumbies’ purple patch mid-season flattered a few reputations.

The No. 10 situation reflects the current Wallabies woes. Only two flyhalves are named, and both have been there before.

There’s a fair counterpoint, though. Two away Tests against a confident Tier 2 nation look an awful lot like a World Cup pool match on the road: discipline, accuracy and not doing anything silly. If you’re stress-testing Wallabies for exactly that scenario, this is the classroom. Head coach Stephen Larkham’s take is that a lot of the group performed well across Super Rugby AUS, and that having a number of Wallabies in the mix shows the depth being built across the Australian system.

There are genuine fresh faces too. Eamon Doyle, 21, former Australia U20s captain and the man who skippered the Waratahs to this year’s Super Rugby AUS final, is in his first senior national squad. So is Nathan Hastie, a Wanneroo-bred Perth junior. Toby Macpherson remains uncapped despite a stint in the Bledisloe squad, and he and Doyle look like the lock-come-backrow utilities of the group.

The Brumbies Takeover

Canberra Claims the Charter Flight

If you hear a lot of chat about Canberra weather in the Nashville changing sheds, blame the selectors. The ACT Brumbies supply 10 of the 27 players plus the head coach. The Reds have eight, the Force five and the Waratahs four. Whether that reflects the Brumbies’ pathway strength or a bit of club-coach familiarity is a pub argument for another day.

Notable Absentees

Missing Men and Mystery Omissions

Who isn’t on the plane is just as interesting as who is. Top of the list is scrum-half Teddy Wilson, whose omission will draw some strong reactions, particularly with Perth’s Nathan Hastie getting the nod instead (though The Underdog is equally a fan of Hastie). Flyhalves Max Burey and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips are also absent. So are seasoned campaigners James O’Connor and Bernard Foley, which leaves Lynagh and Edmed to carry the No. 10 load alone. Sid Harvey is another name plenty expected to see, while Angus Crichton is reportedly sidelined through injury. James Ramm, Zac Lomax and Izaia Perese round out the list of notable omissions. No official reasons have been given for any of them, so whether they’re injured, rested or pencilled in for the Spring Tour is anyone’s guess. We take our own stab at that in the crystal ball below.

The Crystal Ball

Tea Leaves, Tour Tickets and Total Guesswork

Full disclosure: what follows is educated guessing, not inside information. The Wallabies’ Spring Tour opens against England at Twickenham on 8 November, then Scotland on 15 November and Wales on 21 November, according to Rugby Australia’s 2026 Test schedule. Australia A finish on 31 October, so the door between the two squads isn’t shut.

• Teddy Wilson: His absence is the one that’s set to get tongues wagging. The optimistic read is that Thomas being sent for game time means Wilson is ahead of him in the EOYT pecking order. The pessimistic read is an injury. Our guess leans optimistic, but we wouldn’t bet the house on it.
• Max Burey and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips: Both are missing, while Lynagh is going to America. That suggests at least one of them has an EOYT flyhalf spot pencilled in. A fair counter-argument is that Lynagh’s Test miles would serve the Spring Tour better than HMP holding tackle bags at Twickenham. Though Lynagh desperately needs game time.
• Sid Harvey: No official word, and opinion is split between EOYT contention and a niggle. Watch this space.
• Dylan Pietsch: He’s in the A squad rather than the main group, which surprised many. Given the timing, a late call north after New Jersey wouldn’t stun us.
• Angus Crichton: Reportedly nursing an injury, though nothing official has been confirmed.

The Final Whistle

Win Well, Then Widen the Net

This squad should beat the USA. The real test is whether the returning Wallabies come home sharper, and whether Doyle and Hastie get proper minutes rather than polite cameos. Do that, and the squad might look a lot smarter come November.