Wallabies to unleash Tongan Thor Taniela Tupou in second Test against France

Tupou's elevation into the starting side sees Allan Alaalatoa move back to the bench in the only change to Rennie's squad for the second Test against France in Melbourne on Tuesday night..

The Wallabies and France were scheduled to share a charter flight from Queensland to Melbourne on Sunday, with the Australians looking to secure an unassailable series lead.

The 25-year-old Queensland Reds tighthead prop was heaped with praise following his stellar showing in the series opener after coming on at the 52-minute mark.

He established dominance at the scrum, busted through France's blue wall of defence at will and applied pressure at the final lineout which ultimately led to Australia's unlikely triumph.

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Now Rennie will ask for the same impact from the kick-off as he hands Tupou his seventh start from 27 Tests, in the hope Australia can avoid slumping to another 15-0 deficit as they did in game one.

"He was outstanding and has been every time we've brought him into the game with 30 to go," Rennie said.

"Allan's work ethic is phenomenal, and it was a real stop start sort of game [in the first Test] and we weren't able to make use of that strength of his.

"We see these guys are going to tag team and share the load throughout this. Taniela deserves a start, and it's a chance for him to stake a claim on the No. 3 jersey looking ahead to that third Test."

Tupou will pack down alongside hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and 101-Test veteran James Slipper in game two, with the former backing his Super Rugby teammate to make an instant impact.

"We all know Nela is physical. He's a dangerous player when he has ball in hand and he is a boss when he is in defence," Paenga-Amosa said.

"He is definitely going to bring that physicality. It's always good playing alongside Nela, we already know what he is going to bring, so it's exciting.

"[The first Test win] builds confidence. It's more so reminding us we've actually got a good squad and we've got good staff here backing us, and we can do the job, not just against the French but also many other teams we're going to face in the future.

"It's a massive confidence boost."

WALLABIES V FRANCE

Second Test: Tuesday - Australia v France at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 8pm. Broadcast live on Nine and Stan Sport. Tickets from Ticketek.

Wallabies squad: 1. James Slipper, 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 3. Taniela Tupou, 4. Matt Philip, 5. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Michael Hooper (c), 8. Harry Wilson, 9. Jake Gordon, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Marika Koroibete, 12. Matt To'omua, 13. Hunter Paisami, 14. Tom Wright, 15. Tom Banks. Replacements: 16. Lachlan Lonergan, 17. Angus Bell, 18. Allan Alaalatoa, 19. Darcy Swain, 20. Isi Naisarani, 21. Tate McDermott, 22. Len Ikitau, 23. Andrew Kellaway.

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