Updated July 16, 2026 — 6:50pm,first published 3:32pmDeparting Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt admits injury concerns have further limited his options for Saturday’s clash with Italy in Perth, forcing five-eighth Ben Donaldson and breakaway Fraser McReight to the bench, as Australia aims to snap a six-game losing streak.Schmidt revealed Donaldson was unable to complete a full training session on Tuesday after injuring his calf against Ireland, giving Schmidt little option but to pick Declan Meredith to start in the No.10 jumper for his second Test. Carlo Tizzano will also start in the third round clash of the Nations Championship. McReight, who scored two tries in last Saturday’s 42-26 loss to France, experienced knee discomfort following the defeat.Against France Meredith had a tough debut and provided a limited running threat. His opposite, Romain Ntamack, made 74 metres from nine carries, including two line breaks and a try, while Meredith managed six metres from three carries.Meredith will now square off against Italy’s experienced 56-cap playmaker Paolo Garbisi, who plays his club rugby for French giants Toulon.Schmidt is confident that the Test rookie can rise to the occasion in Perth as Australia look to send the coach out on a high after the Wallabies lost nine of their past 10 Tests. It is the worst 10-game run from a Wallabies team in terms of losses since 1969.Schmidt’s record overall as coach stands at 11 wins from 30 Tests. A loss against Italy in his final match would result in the New Zealander ending his reign with the worst winning percentage of any Wallabies coach in the professional era.Schmidt also confirmed he wasn’t going to rerun the ill-fated experiment of last Saturday when he used Queensland Reds fullback Jock Campbell as a replacement five-eighth.Brumbies rookie Declan Meredith had a tough debut against France last Saturday but has been backed by Joe Schmidt.AP“We are backing Declan,” Schmidt said. “And we weren’t sure if Ben [Donaldson] would be fully fit, and last week [against France], I felt it was very difficult for Jock to run the game.“We were desperate to make sure that we didn’t push Ben too early in the week and potentially cause him to need to withdraw with a strain with his calf.“We wanted to give him as much time to be able to say, right, on Thursday you can go 100 per cent, do the full volume of the training, and that gives us a bit of certainty around Ben being able to come on and do a really good job, and I guess drive us around the field because it was a big ask for Jock when he was really covering 10 and 15.”Italy’s preparations, meanwhile, have been thrown into chaos after head coach Gonzalo Quesada was suspended for two matches. After Saturday’s loss to New Zealand, the former Argentina player was critical of the officials. Quesada is banned from all match-day activities, including being in the stadium. The Italian Rugby Federation plans to appeal the decision.After being asked why he didn’t use a more experienced five-eighth replacement against France, instead of Campbell, Schmidt said he had been in contact with other playmakers and had also bounced selection ideas off incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss. Kiss was at training in Perth on Thursday.“I had a catch-up with James [O’Connor] in Brisbane, spoke to Noah [Lolesio] and Tane [Edmed],” Schmidt said. “We don’t by any means discard anyone or disregard them as potential players ... I’m talking to Les as well and just saying what do you feel is the best springboard going forward.“I don’t feel like I’m operating in isolation – we’re trying to make decisions. Right now we’ve got to get a result, but also I think we can do that, balance that and still be a little bit more long-term thinking around those 10s ...“That’s probably one of my biggest frustrations [as Wallabies coach], not having that continuity to drive the game [from five-eighth] and have that probably consistency of messaging and ability to grow someone in that position so that they see more of the game and are more confident around kind of making calls and making decisions on the fly.”Tizzano believes competing against McReight for the Wallabies No.7 jersey has made him a better player, and he is ready to show it.“To have someone who’s breathing down your neck and vice versa is a really, really cool opportunity, and it’s a good place to be. I would prefer to have that than just be cruising,” Tizzano said.“You rarely ever see Fraser having a performance under a seven or eight out of 10. So to try and hold that jersey when you’ve got a guy doing that every single week is a tough gig. I’ve just got to be myself and enjoy it.”Waratahs second-rower Miles Amatosero is set to become the 27th player to make his Test debut under Schmidt in his two years in charge of the Wallabies. Fellow Test rookie Lachie Shaw makes way for Amatosero after earning his first two Test caps in the defeats against Ireland and France.The Wallabies have played Italy 20 times, with the Azzurri winning the past two contests, in 2022 and in November.Schmidt is experiencing the strange sensation of no future Tests to plan for, but is looking forward to seeing his family at the finish line after the Italy game.“I’m feeling a little bit lost,” he said. “When you work really hard week to week, you’re always looking, and you’re always planning ahead, and now the planning ahead has sort of disappeared.“I guess I’m partly looking forward to being able to get a little bit more sleep and spend a little bit more time with family ... to be able to do something other than be totally engrossed in a job that I love – but it takes a lot out of you because you put a lot into it.”From our partners