Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa is set to leave Wallabies camp after Sunday's clash against South Africa, and return to Canberra for the birth of his first child.
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That would mean missing the Wallabies' September 18 clash with South Africa, and potentially two matches against Argentina, should Alaalatoa opt to stay at home with his wife Filo and not return to the national team.
Veteran Western Force prop Greg Holmes, also awaiting the birth of a child, has been drafted into Dave Rennie's squad to help cover for Alaalatoa.
The 38-year-old and his wife Alana are expecting a son in early October, and the unexpected Wallabies call up means the baby can now be born in Holmes' home state of Queensland.
"We had everything set up there in Perth, I had to have some pretty serious talks with her [Alana], I was pretty keen to have a Queensland baby," Holmes said.
"We got the hospital and everything sorted out over here on the Gold Coast and she flies over here on Thursday, she had a few meetings with the doctor to make sure she was right to fly."
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When Rennie asked last week if he could join the Wallabies for the rest of the spring, Holmes figured it was in a coaching role - something he is pursuing at the Force.
"I missed his call and assumed that was what it was about, I rang him back and he said we've had a few injuries and a few things going on, you want to come in and train for the week and possibly the next month as well," Holmes said.
"I've got a lot of work to do in the next week or two to try and get myself in a position where, if need be, I'll be right to play."
The Wallabies are licking their wounds after a humbling 3-0 Bledisloe Cup defeat, and it doesn't get any easier this weekend when they take on the world champion Springboks.
They'll be without prospective debutant Suliasi Vunivalu again, after the ex-Melbourne Storm code hopper suffered another setback in his return from a hamstring injury.
Rennie is also pondering the idea of replacing under-fire Brumbies young gun Noah Lolesio at flyhalf, potentially with the returning James O'Connor.
Despite the disruptions, Holmes was still confident the Wallabies could return to form against the Springboks.
"We'll do everything we can in our power to be right for this weekend and we'll go in very, very confident against the Boks," Holmes said.
"If we can impose our fast paced game, get some good field position against them so we run them off their feet, making them uncomfortable that's how you beat them."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
