'We needed him': Fraser McReight's surprise Wallabies omission raises eyebrows

Former Wallabies backrower Stephen Hoiles has questioned Joe Schmidt's decision to rest Fraser McReight in Monday's (AEDT) 27-13 loss to Scotland in Edinburgh.

Wallabies coach Schmidt left star flanker McReight and lock Nick Frost out of his 23 with rookie Carlo Tizzano instead wearing the crucial No.7 jersey at Murrayfield.

"They both played 80 minutes (against Wales) and accumulated quite a bit of fatigue and a few knocks," Schmidt said of McReight and Frost when naming his team to play Scotland.

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"They're both OK. Carlo played both South African games and the two games in Argentina, he made 66 out of 67 tackles, got half a dozen turnovers and added value... I think it's a vote of confidence for how Carlo went."

Taniela Tupou was also left out of the team to play Scotland despite being available as Schmidt erred on the side of caution with the giant prop's recovery from a knee injury.

Whether the senior forwards could have changed the result against the well-drilled Scots will never be known but Australia's dream of a second Grand Slam is extinguished ahead of Sunday's (AEDT) season ending clash with Ireland in Dublin.

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"Did we rotate any players? Were they all genuinely injured?" Hoiles asked on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts.

"I think the fans want to know because when you're playing for a Grand Slam... two more games to go - as a Wallabies fan, if Fraser McReight was fit to play or even touch and go, mate, he's as good as any seven in the world at the moment, we needed him."

Schmidt - like many other rugby coaches - has an unofficial policy of not selecting players if they are not fully fit to train during the week.

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"If we beat Scotland we're about to play Ireland for a Grand Slam and it means so much to everyone," Hoiles said.

"I wonder if we were sticking to the plan of making sure certain players would get game time on tour and trying to see what the future looks like. He's (McReight) the best attacking seven since George Smith. That's how good he is. Like, I'm not saying he's better.

"His attacking style - we've been blessed with No.7s. Like Hoops (Michael Hooper) is a Hall of Famer. And Hoops is a way more balanced player and Fraser's got a lot to achieve before he gets to that level, but his attacking ability and he keeps the play alive.

"He sets up, he's got an offload, he's got support play. We've had Poey (David Pocock), we've had Waughy (Phil Waugh), we've had so many good No.7s, but none of them have been able to attack like George Smith, except Fraser.

"Tizzano has been a really good performer this year but McReight is clearly one of the most attacking, intelligent, best support players at No.7 we've got in world rugby and we're just lucky he's a Wallaby."

Another factor in Schmidt's decision making was a six day turnaround between the Scotland and Ireland Tests.

Former Wallabies back Morgan Turinui believed Schmidt deserved the benefit of the doubt with his selections after several bold punts - including Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's surprise debut - paid off.

"I went 'hmmm' and he was right the first couple of weeks, he was right in all of them," Turinui said.

"But this long-term plan looks to be all around winning the Lions series (next year) or setting them up for depth or whatever it is.

"If you go to the Lions series and don't win - you could have done something maybe more along the way... we need consistent performances right through and perhaps building that depth and squad depth will give that.

"It's hard to second guess a guy who's getting a lot right at the moment. We scored 94 points in two weeks before that.

"But we were negated right across the park (against Scotland) and McReight gives a little bit of something extra."

McReight will almost certainly return against world No.2 Ireland, who have rebounded from a loss to New Zealand with wins over Argentina and Fiji.

Ireland had won 19 straight games at their Aviva Stadium fortress before losing to the All Blacks.

"It's loud, it's passionate and a lot of them play together at club level (for Leinster)," McReight told Stan Sport.

"They can form really strong relationships on and off the field, they're getting coached really well. And they've had a seamless transitional period between the old and the new. They've got a lot of resources, Irish rugby."

McReight was a key performer in the eye-catching wins over England and Wales.

"Last weekend was not the best and not what we wanted to do, when we wanted to win a Grand Slam," he said.

"But now the challenge for us is to regroup with a six day turnaround and really bring it to the Irish. There's nothing better than finishing your tour with a win. We did it two years ago in Cardiff and it's a great way to finish off the Wallabies season."

Schmidt coached Ireland between 2013-19 and he is still revered there for his role in piloting the team to the top of the world rankings.

"Obviously, he knows a lot about Irish rugby and how they play and the players themselves. It definitely helps us going up against them, for sure," McReight said.