Ben Donaldson will make his first run-on start of the year for the Wallabies when they face Argentina in the second Test in Mendoza on Sunday morning [AEST].
Wallabies coach Les Kiss' quest for greater competitiveness in his squad will see Donaldson wear the No. 10 jersey with Carter Gordon moving to the bench. Gordon was reported to have been an unlikely starter through injury earlier in the week, but he has been included among the replacements alongside halfback Kalani Thomas.
Gordon started the first Test against Ireland this season, before injury saw Declan Meredith then step in and wear the No. 10 jersey against France, Italy and in the first Test with Japan. Gordon then returned for the return Brave Blossoms Test in Townsville, and retained the jersey for last week's 27-21 over the Pumas.
"Carter's fine, it was a physical game last week and he's got the big gash on his head with a heavy knock," Kiss told reporters. "But he's fine to play, from the outset we wanted to make sure we saw the 10s, all of them, Deccy [Declan Meredith] had a good run early with three Tests, Carter's come in, Donno's had the bench there.
"Donno's had a great season, but we just want to make sure he feels Test rugby again as we move into the rest of the season."
Kiss has meanwhile continued his rotation in the forward pack, selecting a new starting front-row of Angus Bell, Billy Pollard and Taniela Tupou, with the tighthead also shaking off some injury concerns.
Skipper Harry Wilson returns at No. 8, with Rob Valetini shifting to the No. 6 jersey.
There are further changes in the backs with Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to reform the midfield pairing that started in all three Tests of the Nations Championship.
Ikitau did not feature at all against Japan, while Suaalii was ruled out of the second Test with a minor hamstring strain. He came off the bench in an impressive 15-minute cameo last week and will now have the chance to reassert himself in the No. 13 jersey with Isaac Henry moved to the bench.
"The truth of the matter is Hunter [Paisami] has really played well, Isaac Henry has really come along and proven himself in terms of being very adaptable in the midfield for us and I think that competition is fantastic for us," Kiss said.
"I've said it often, we need that competitive pressure in every position. But we saw Su [Suaalii] come off the bench last week, we worked Lenny through a good training profile over the last two weeks and he's ready to go, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how that combination comes along. It's got a lot of experience together, so that's a big plus; both class players, it's an opportunity to see them back together for sure."
The changes are completed by Filipo Daugunu's selection on the left wing after Harry Potter endured a mixed afternoon in Jujuy last week that included a yellow card for a deliberate knockdown.
The Wallabies are chasing a fifth straight win for the first time since 2021, when they strung back-to-back wins over the Springboks, Pumas, and then defeated Japan on their way to Europe for the spring tour. With sterner challenges to come against South Africa and New Zealand, a fifth consecutive victory would build further momentum for the Kiss Wallabies era.
"I would hope that we could get a little bit of flow in terms of our attacking play, it was sort of static on and off a bit in the first half [last week]; we gained a bit of traction in the second half for sure," Kiss said when asked what he was looking for in the second Test.
"The boys, there was some good moments, but they're never satisfied and neither are the coaches. But we want to make sure we get a bit more flow, but understanding that because you say it, no one has a right to flow in Test-match footy, you've got to make the right decisions around flow. So just manage the game [better]."
WALLABIES TEAM FOR SECOND TEST
Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Ryan Lonergan; Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Josh Canham, Taniela Tupou, Billy Pollard, Angus Bell. Replacements: Josh Nasser, Aidan Ross, Massimo De Lutiis, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Charlie Cale, Kalani Thomas, Carter Gordon, Isaac Henry