Edmed set for Wallabies redemption after painful three-minute debut

Tane Edmed is poised for a return to Test rugby, with the former Waratahs playmaker set to be picked in the Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship opener against South Africa, due to be named on Thursday.

Edmed made his debut for the Wallabies last November against Ireland, lasting just three minutes in Dublin after coming on as a 74th-minute substitute before being knocked out while making a tackle.

Edmed will come into the squad after Reds five-eighth Tom Lynagh was ruled out after suffering his third concussion of the season after being illegally cleared out of a ruck by British and Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan in the third Test.

Sheehan subsequently received a four-match ban for the “reckless” hit on Lynagh, which officials did not pick up during the game.

Edmed struggled for game time for the Waratahs this season, starting just five games out of 12 for NSW, and departed for the Brumbies at the end of the Super Rugby season. The playmaker impressed selectors with a strong performance for the AUNZ XV against the Lions in the 48-point defeat in Adelaide three weeks ago.

Edmed’s Brumbies teammate Ryan Lonergan is a chance to earn a Wallabies debut after also impressing against the Lions in Canberra, with halfback Jake Gordon ruled out of the TRC with hamstring issues.

Tane Edmed played well in the AUNZ XV’s defeat against the British and Irish LIons and is set for a comebackCredit: Getty Images

Nic White is set to be named in the squad, bringing to an end one of the shortest Test retirements in history.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had previously joked that the Force player was like Australian singer Johnny Farnham, who enjoyed multiple farewell tours.

After an outstanding performance in the Wallabies’ third and final Test victory over the British and Irish Lions, White is set for an encore in South Africa.

Former Wallabies captain Dave Porecki announced his retirement on Monday evening after aggravating his Achilles injury ahead of being named to start in the third Test in Sydney.

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Force hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa is expected to be named in his place to provide a strong scrummaging option against the world champions in Tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Brumbies tighthead Allan Alaalatoa is highly unlikely to feature at any stage of the Rugby Championship and will have a scan in a month to see whether the shoulder injury he sustained in the second Test defeat at the MCG will need surgery.

Alaalatoa was awarded the Brumbies’ Brett Robinson Players’ Player of the Year award for a fourth time on Tuesday evening in Canberra, collecting the award while wearing a sling.

Racing 92-bound Taniela Tupou and Montpellier-bound Langi Gleeson are both expected to be named in the squad, alongside La Rochelle’s Will Skelton.

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