Wallabies dealt critical Will Skelton blow as La Rochelle coach offers grim injury update
Will Skelton (pictured) has suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles
La Rochelle lock Will Skelton is now a major doubt for the Wallabies’ upcoming 2026 Test season, with the 33-year-old suspected to have ruptured his Achilles on club duty.
The towering forward came off after just 30 minutes in La Rochelle’s 26-15 defeat to Bayonne in the Top 14 on Saturday (March 28), and struggled to leave the field.
Skelton had also just returned to action last weekend in their win over Pau, after spending two months on the sidelines with a calf injury.
Skelton suffers suspected ruptured Achilles injury
While the full extent of his injury is yet to be confirmed by the French outfit, they are fearing the worst.
“There’s a suspected Achilles tendon rupture,” La Rochelle assistant coach, Rémi Talès, told the press. “It’s tough for a player like him, given the effort he’s put in to come back after his calf injury.
“We’re all thinking of him and hope he recovers quickly, because we need him.”
“We were playing well,” Talès continued. “When you see (Levani) Botia (who suffered a calf injury) and Skelton go off, even if you’re down to fourteen men, you gain a psychological advantage.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
“We paid dearly for Will’s absence in the mauls, as we conceded two tries in the second half. We lacked experience. ”
Should La Rochelle’s fears become a reality, Skelton would certainly miss the rest of the season, including the Wallabies’ 2026 Test campaign.
Northampton Saints sweat over England trio as injury concerns worsen
Joe Schmidt’s side kick off their season in July with three Nations Championship Tests against Ireland, France and Italy, before taking on Japan in a home-and-away series, Argentina on a two-Test tour, the Springboks in a standalone Test and the All Blacks in a Bledisloe Cup home-and-away series.
The Wallabies then conclude the 2026 season with three further Nations Championship Tests against England, Scotland and Wales.
It would also rule him out of La Rochelle’s remaining Top 14 and EPCR Challenge Cup fixtures, too, as the French club look to atone for their early-season woes.
READ MORE: Gloucester boss fumes at Leicester Tigers defeat as ‘changes’ threatened