Former Wallabies captain Dave Porecki has added to the hooker battle at the national level as he continues to return from injury.
Porecki was one of several new inclusions in the Canberra training camp led by Wallabies coaches that did not feature in the Rugby Championship ahead of the Wallabies and Australia XV end-of-season tours.
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The hooker has not been sighted on a Rugby field since leading out the Wallabies at the 2023 Rugby World Cup against Portugal due to an Achilles problem.
It has plagued the 31-year-old all year, missing the entire 2024 Super Rugby and home Test season.
Porecki has dealt with prolonged injuries in the past, dealing with a rare calf injury in 2021.
Joining him to boost the hooker depth was Brumbies rake Lachlan Lonergan.
Lonergan missed the majority of the Super Rugby season with a gnarly dislocation midway through March’s 20-19 win over the Reds.
He was joined in camp by fellow Brumbies hopefuls Ollie Sapsford, Andy Muirhead and Rory Scott as they push for a spot in one of the tours.
Lonergan will be contending with the likes of Porecki, Josh Nasser, Matt Faessler, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Billy Pollard amongst others for a spot on one of the tours.
“It's good to see them go well,” he said on the competition.
“It makes you want to drive your standards better and train harder to hopefully get an opportunity to be a part of it again.”
Waratah flyhalf Tane Edmed was also readily involved in drills throughout the training as he presented his case.
Edmed was a sensation for North Harbour in the NPC, finishing the regular season as the highest point scorer with 137 in ten starts.
The 24-year-old has tasted the Australian jersey before with Australia A in 2022.
Fellow Waratahs playmaker Lalakai Foketi was also involved in the session, whilst prop Taniela Tupou did not take part in the final drills of the morning session as he manages a knee niggle picked up early in the second Bledisloe.
