SYDNEY :The Wallabies have been forced to call Brandon Paenga-Amosa into the team for Saturday's final test against the British & Irish Lions after hookers Dave Porecki and Matt Faessler both picked up injuries in training.
Porecki, who started last week's second test, suffered a heel injury and Faessler, who started the first, picked up a calf issue in training on Thursday.
Billy Pollock moves up from the replacements to start in place of Porecki on Saturday, while Paenga-Amosa will come off the bench as the Wallabies look to grab a consolation win after losing the first two tests.
Captain Harry Wilson said the team had great faith in the powerful Paenga-Amosa, who played the last of his 20 tests against Ireland last November.
"Brandon joined us yesterday afternoon after a bit of a tough Thursday training session, it's obviously gutting to lose great players in Porecki and Fez," the number eight told reporters at Stadium Australia on Friday.
"But we've got a lot of confidence in BPA, he's been around this group for quite a long time over the last year and he's already faced the Lions three times. So he's got a lot of confidence and ... he has fit in very quickly."
Paenga-Amosa, who faced the Lions in tour matches for Western Force, the Australia-New Zealand selection and the First Nations-Pasifika XV, will bring power to the front row but his lineout throwing has sometimes been wayward.
Coach Joe Schmidt had already been forced into three changes to his team by injuries but Wilson said it had been good to have fresh faces Taniela Tupou and Dylan Pietsch in the matchday squad.
"What they've given us is fresh legs on the training park, fresh energy, more chatter around the training field. Just been nice and they're just
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