‘Big shoes to fill’: Koroibete ruled out of Wallabies’ spring tour

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For now, Rennie will likely choose between Jordan Petaia and Tom Wright to step into Koroibete’s place.

“As always, it’s an opportunity, isn’t it? Marika didn’t play the last game. Jordy got the start. It gave Tom Wright a sniff, and he played really well. It’s a position we have a bit of depth in,” Rennie said.

“Marika is an unbelievable player with a massive work ethic. And physicality. Big shoes to fill, but we have good depth there.”

Koroibete will be one of the few headline stars absent from the team Rennie will pick for Saturday’s clash with the Brave Blossoms.

With a fortnight between the Japan Test and the clash with Scotland at Murrayfield, Rennie is keen to build on the momentum gained through four consecutive wins.

“We’ll put in the best side available,” he said. “They are a genuine threat, and we are treating it as that. They’re a different beast to what we’re going to face in Europe, with regards to how they’re going to play, but that’s great from our perspective.

“They play a very high-speed, high-skill type of game. That’s no surprise with [coach] Jamie [Joseph] and Tony [Brown] in the mix.

“So, yeah, we’re well aware of that, and we will have to do a good job around the quality of our defence, slowing their ball down to get a wall in front of them. We’ve got a plan around how we need to play against these guys.”

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