Luckless Wallabies star’s season over after training injury
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Charlie Cale’s season is over after the Wallabies confirmed his rotten luck had continued with a training injury that requires surgery.
The athletic loose forward suffered a shoulder subluxation at training in Perth on Saturday and after scans and consultation with specialists it was decided he would go under the knife.
Charlie Cale warms up during a Wallabies training session. Getty Images
Cale, 25, is one of the most gifted players in Australia, but a string of injuries has restricted him to just six Tests since making his debut in 2024.
The ACT Brumbies star battled shoulder issues in 2024 and 2026 while a back injury cruelled his 2025 campaign.
“It was something at a breakdown there, just a recurrence from I think one of the injuries that he had during Super Rugby,” Wallabies assistant coach Tom Donnelly said.
“Pretty disappointed for Charlie. He’s still a young man, he’s still got a massive future ahead of him.
“A little bit of silver lining is that if it needs to be repaired, he can get it fixed, and he can hit the ground running for Super Rugby next year, and give himself a great run into being available for the World Cup.”
Wallabies coach Les Kiss has called in Western Force bruiser Nick Champion de Crespigny as a replacement ahead of Sunday’s clash with the world champion Springboks at Optus Stadium.
“He’s (Cale) had a really good Super Rugby season and then came in and has been really good in our environment,” Donnelly said.
"His aerial skills are a real strength of his so we'll lose a little bit of that. But at the same time, Nick is a pretty similar player, has very good aerial skills as well, and is pretty physical."
Kiss is yet to taste defeat as Wallabies coach while the Springboks beat Australia 30-12 in their last visit to Perth in 2024.
“South Africa are the best team in the world, so what better way to test what we’ve been doing and everything we’ve been working on than doing it against the best?” Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano said.
“To get the win will be unreal. I think we’ve grown a lot since we last played them in Perth.
Carlo Tizzano was superb in Townsville. Getty Images
"But it's all about making sure we do all the things we've been talking about during the week. And if we do that, then we should get a good result."
Wallabies coach Rassie Erasmus said he has huge respect for Australia, despite their struggles against many other nations.
“We find them tremendously difficult to play against, I don’t know why,” Erasmus said.
“I can’t say they’re more physical than other teams. Like, they’re definitely up there for physicality. But ever since I was a player, they’ve got big guys like (Owen) Finegan, now, is it (Tom) Hooper, they’re massive, but they’ve got these weird-built guys, with massive size.
“They’re tough, strong guys. I remember with Finegan, I never could work out, how do you tackle the guy?
“Ever since those days, I just find them intriguing, the Australians. You get a guy like (Joseph-Aukuso) Suaalii, who’s 22, and he just comes in, and he’s a full-on player. You just find these players.”
South Africa arrive fresh from beating New Zealand 3-1 in an epic series that finished in the United States.
Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks have been staying on the Central Coast this week. Getty Images
“Anybody who plays four games against New Zealand will be a little bit punch-drunk at the end,” Erasmus said.
“That’s why prior to the New Zealand series we had the Nations Championship games, we really rotated a lot. And in the Argentinian game we had to gamble a little bit, keeping players behind, and we almost lost that match.”
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