James Slipper shifts as Noah Lolesio earns a Wallabies recall against England

Slipper's last start in the No. 3 jersey for Australia was in 2012 but the 112-Test veteran has proven a force on both sides of the scrum with the ACT Brumbies at Super Rugby level.

Slipper's shift from loosehead to tighthead means Angus Bell will fill the No. 1 jersey, while Ollie Hoskins is in line to debut off the bench against Eddie Jones' England at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday morning [AEDT].

Dave Rennie has been forced to take action with regular tighthead prop duo Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou ruled out with concussion symptoms following a loss to Scotland last weekend.

Jordan Petaia's latest injury setback has opened the door for Brumbies flyhalf Lolesio to earn a Test recall off the bench after initially being left out of the Spring Tour squad.

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Andrew Kellaway shifts to the wing to cover Petaia, while Kurtley Beale returns to the starting side at fullback. Lolesio will take his place on the bench, with James O'Connor taking the reins in the starting side.

France-based hooker Tolu Latu will play his first Test since the 2019 World Cup off the bench, while Tom Robertson is the loosehead prop.

"Playing England at a packed Twickenham is one of the toughest assignments in Test Rugby but we're excited by that," Rennie said.

"While it's disappointing for Taniela and Allan who weren't able to pass their protocols within the six-day turnaround, it's created an opportunity for Ollie to realise a lifelong dream.

"He's impressed us with his dedication and diligence to get up to speed quickly and we're confident he'll do a good job for us."

Uncapped London Irish prop Hoskins played for the Western Force from 2014-16 and was a shock call-up to the Wallabies squad following injuries to Tupou and Alaalatoa.

"It's pretty wild, it's hard to put into words how I feel," Hoskins told his club's website.

"It's surreal, it's something that I thought was off the table for me when I moved over here and set up my life here."

England mentor Jones will have to call on a fresh prop of his own after Joe Marler's positive COVID-19 test ruled him out of the Australian clash.

But the hosts have avoided disaster with the Rugby Football Union confirming all playing and backroom staff who underwent an additional round of PCR testing have produced negative results.

It means Jones' disruption for the Wallabies clash is limited to finding a replacement for just Marler on the bench, after the Harlequins prop played 14 minutes of the 69-3 victory over Tonga.

Captain Owen Farrell is poised to be restored at flyhalf against the Wallabies after he missed the Tonga clash with a positive COVID-19 test, only for reanalysis to reveal it was a false-positive.

Bevan Rodd is in line for a Test debut as he fills the void left by Marler, with Ellis Genge the only other specialist loosehead.

SPRING TOUR

Sunday: England v Wallabies at Twickenham, 4.30am.

Wallabies squad: 1. Angus Bell, 2. Folau Faingaa, 3. James Slipper, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Izack Rodda, 6. Rob Leota, 7. Michael Hooper (c), 8. Rob Valetini, 9. Nic White, 10. James OConnor, 11. Tom Wright, 12. Hunter Paisami, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Andrew Kellaway, 15. Kurtley Beale. Replacements: 16. Tolu Latu, 17. Tom Robertson, 18. Oliver Hoskins, 19. Will Skelton, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Tate McDermott, 22. Noah Lolesio, 23. Izaia Perese.

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