'It's still up for grabs': Will Skelton returns as Wallabies eye All Blacks upset

Skelton was a vital cog in the Wallabies machine during the early stages of this year's Rugby Championship and helped his team to claim a shock victory over the Springboks in their tournament opener in Johannesburg before also featuring in their rematch with the world champions, which they lost, in Cape Town.

However, he missed the Wallabies' two clashes against Argentina in Townsville and Sydney and this past weekend's first Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park after returning to his club La Rochelle in France.

Skelton has not returned to action at club level yet as he was rested for La Rochelle's Top 14 opener against Bordeaux-Begles before their next match against Toulon was postponed due to bad weather.

The 33-year-old rejoined the Wallabies squad late on Friday night and said he is fully focused on helping his side return to winning ways.

Ahead of the final round of the Rugby Championship, Australia still have an outside chance of winning the competition if they can defeat the All Blacks and the Boks slip up against Argentina.

"I've been in the Perth sunshine and yeah, definitely acclimatised," Skelton told reporters on Monday. "The Rugby Championship is still up for grabs, there's still a lot to play for.

"Also, playing in the jersey, we've got guys like Slips (James Slipper) who've played 150 games for his country.

"We want to make everyone in Australia proud of what we do and how we play footy. The [Bledisloe] series might be gone, but we're definitely putting everything we can into winning this Rugby Championship.

"That will start [with] today's training, and then we'll build the week nicely so that we can really be at our peak come Saturday."

Skelton is one of several players who have returned to the Wallabies squad, alongside the fit-again Rob Valetini and Josh Flook, who comes in for the injured Andrew Kellaway.

Perth-based Nic White will also rejoin the squad due to Tate McDermott's serious hamstring injury, but the twice-retired veteran scrumhalf is unlikely to return to action as he is set for a supporting role for Jake Gordon and Ryan Lonergan.

Despite having several injuries in the Wallabies camp, Skelton feels the growing squad depth is an area which has played a major part in the side's improvement of late.

"I love being in this environment," he added. "I'm thankful that not much has changed in four weeks, in terms of game-plan, in terms of structures⦠I've been training the whole time at La Rochelle, so I feel pretty fit.

"You see it just at training, how hard we compete, how hard training is. We try and get the best out of each other. We're all pretty close, we're all pretty tight in the group, we're connected, and you can see that on the weekend.

"We didn't get the result, but we fought as hard as we could to bring that game back. You talk about depth we've got guys in every position. You take out Bobby [Valetini], you've got Hoops [Tom Hooper].

"Lukhan [Salakia-Loto] doesn't play, [Josh] Canham can jump straight in. Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams have been playing great footy.

"It's another opportunity for myself to come in and try and add to the squad, not just be a part of it. Try and be better, bring intensity, bring physicality.

"That's what the squad needs, and that's what we've had the last few weeks.

"The more opportunities you get to play, the more you want to play. It's a privilege to be named in squads, it's a privilege to be around this team, to wear the gold jersey. It's something that all the players in this group love doing, myself included."

Although Australia couldn't snap New Zealand's formidable 52-Test unbeaten streak at Eden Park, the Wallabies pushed them all the way, trailing by just two points with five minutes remaining before a late Cam Roigard try sealed a 33-24 win for the All Blacks.

Skelton admitted the Wallabies' progress has been impossible to miss, even during his recent spell back in France, away from the squad environment.

Still, he stressed that the team's growth will only continue if they remain committed to their processes and block out the external noise.

"It's hard not to," said Skelton bluntly when asked if he had noticed the outside noise.

"With social media nowadays, we're definitely trending in the right direction â- but none of that really matters to us.

"Within the four walls, we know what we can do. We trust in how we prepare and how hard we work and none of that really matters.

"It's getting wins on the board and we're definitely throwing everything into this week and into our preparation and really wanting to put a performance that not only we're proud of but our fans and the rest of Australia are proud of as well."

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