Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has confirmed Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio will make the hasty trip to the UK to replace Quade Cooper, with the 'torn' playmaker staying in Japan.
Cooper had initially stated he was keen to travel to Europe for the Spring Tour, however, some reservations from club Kintetsu had left him weighing up the decision to leave Japan after last week's Test.
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This left the playmaker in two minds, eventually making the tough call to stay with his club, which was confirmed by Rennie on Thursday.
“He obviously wanted the blessing of the club, maybe some flexibility around the tour dates but in the end, I think he felt he needed to be there to support his club about to head into their season,” Rennie told the media.
“…He’s torn. He wants to be here, he wants to be a Wallaby but he feels loyalty to his club so he’s made a decision that he feels is the right one.
"He’s made the decision that’s best for him and we’ve moved on.
“It’s his primary employer isn’t it? We want guys who are desperate to be Wallabies and Quade says he is but he’s torn. I think if he had the blessing of the club, he would have come but he hasn’t."
With Reece Hodge out for the rest of the year, it meant the returning James O'Connor was the lone flyhalf in the squad for the remaining three games.
Whilst Rennie in the past made the call to leave Lolesio at home, citing the opportunity to give him a proper pre-season after a rapid start to his career.
Despite the shock call-up, he was confident the 21-year-old could achieve both in the Wallabies set-up.
“He’s played a lot of footy with us and understands the structure, he can slot in seemingly,” Rennie said on Lolesio.
“He’s been doing a lot of training, been training every day. His body is great and he’s keen as. We’ll get him on the plane and soon as we can get the approbate paperwork sorted.
“If we thought Quade wasn’t going to travel, Noah would have come.”
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Cooper will join fellow Japan-based Wallabies Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon in staying in Japan, despite Regulation Nine of World Rugby giving their availability priority to the national side.
Whilst Rennie showed his disappointment with the series of events, he was eager to turn their attention to Scotland as they prepare in Brighton.
“I spoke to all those boys when we were on the Gold Coast and they said had concerns about their club and how they would feel about travel in November close to the start of the season but all assured me they were keen to travel,” he added.
“For that reason, we got in negotiations with the club. They weren’t happy to be Reg Nine’d and us taking him, hence the reason we had multiple zoom meetings to try and sort through the problem.
“In the end, you see the result. We’re disappointed but our focus is on who’s here not who isn’t.”
Rennie also confirmed Kurtley Beale will join fellow Aussies Rory Arnold, Tolu Latu and Will Skelton in joining the Wallabies squad on Monday, with further inclusions expected to be announced in the coming days.
