Tane Edmed will have the chance to add to his 60 seconds of Test match rugby, while Lukhan Salakaia-Loto returns in the Wallabies' Rugby Championship squad after three impressive showings against the British and Irish Lions.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt on Thursday confirmed a 35-man squad for the opening two Tests of the Rugby Championship, which kicks off for Australia away to South Africa on Saturday week. The Wallabies will play back-to-back Tests against the world champions, before returning home for two games against Argentina.
But the final few days of the Lions series certainly took its toll on Australia, with Jake Gordon, Tom Lynagh and Dave Porecki all going down with injury, with the veteran hooker then on Tuesday retiring from rugby full-stop.
That has opened up the opportunity for Edmed, Salakaia-Loto and Ryan Lonergan to join Australia's touring party, while Nic White, who had announced last Saturday's third Test against the Lions would be his last, has already come out of retirement to help Australia through at least the first two games of the Rugby Championship.
Meanwhile, there appears to be good news on the injury front for Rob Valetini, after the back-rower was named by Schmidt on Thursday. Better yet, star lock Will Skelton is also among the group, with the La Rochelle second-rower opting to play on with the Wallabies beyond the Lions series.
James O'Connor has also been included after Lynagh's injury, despite not featuring against the Lions in any of the three Tests.
Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who was a late call-up for the third Test after injuries to Porecki and Matt Faessler, and Josh Nasser are the new faces at hooker.
Both Tom Hooper and Langi Gleeson have also been included, as expected, despite their looming departures England and France later in the year.
"It's pleasing to be able to keep the core of the group together, while also leaning on some depth and fresh bodies. We're very conscious of how difficult it is going to be, playing South Africa on their home turf over two consecutive weekends," Schmidt said via media release.
"The group has made some positive steps throughout the start of the Test season but we all know there is a lot of hard work ahead of us."
The Wallabies have not beaten the Springboks since 2022, while their last win in South Africa came way back in 2011 under Robbie Deans, which reflects the scale of the challenge Australia have in front of them.
But Skelton's availability is a huge bonus, given how much of a difference the 33-year-old made against the Lions; his combativeness and physicality will be vital against the big Springboks pack.
Valetini, meanwhile, is continuing his recovery from a calf injury he suffered ahead of the Wallabies' Test with Fiji, which Australia won after a last-gasp try from skipper Harry Wilson. Valetini was able to make it back for the second Test against the Lions, turning an impressive 40-performance before he was replaced at halftime.
He did not then feature in the 22-12 win at Accor Stadium, in which his replacement Hooper was named man-of-the-match.
Salakaia-Loto, meanwhile, will be aiming to play his first Test since last year's narrow loss to Ireland in Dublin. The versatile forward missed the back half of Super Rugby but made his return in Queensland Reds' 52-12 loss to the Lions, before he also then faced the tourists with the AUNZ and First Nations-Pasifika Invitational teams.
The Queenslander quipped he was waiting on Schmidt's "call" after the AUNZ game, which has now finally arrived for the opening games of the Rugby Championship.
Last year's loss to Ireland also represents Edmed's most recent -- and only -- appearance in the gold jersey, after the Brumbies-bound fly-half suffered a concussion in the 78th minute of the Wallabies 21-17 loss at Aviva Stadium.
Edmed then struggled for game time at the Waratahs under new coach Dan McKellar, which saw the Sydneysider opt to move south to Canberra ahead of next year's Super Rugby Pacific season.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD FOR SOUTH AFRICA TOUR
Forwards: Angus Bell, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Josh Nasser, Zane Nonggorr, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Billy Pollard, Tom Robertson, Aidan Ross, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson
Backs: Ben Donaldson, Tane Edmed, Josh Flook, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Ryan Lonergan, Tate McDermott, James O'Connor Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright