Porecki stands by as Australia give Skelton every chance to play

SAINT-ETIENNE : Australia captain Will Skelton sat out training on the eve of the crunch World Cup clash with Fiji on Saturday but team management insisted he was still in the frame to start the game.

Scans on Friday confirmed the hulking lock had sustained a "minor" calf strain and Richie Arnold trained in his place at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard with hooker Dave Porecki leading the captain's run.

"We're giving Will as much time as possible to get ready for the game so he's in treatment, he's working with the physios at the moment," assistant coach Dan Palmer told reporters.

"We'll give him until the last minute to be ready. There's no mind games ... he's an important part of our team and we're prepared to do that."

Palmer confirmed that Porecki would lead the team if Skelton was not available, while Matt Philip would move onto the bench as replacement lock.

"Dave, given the opportunity, he'll be superb," said veteran prop James Slipper. "The way he goes about his business on the field as a player, he leads by example.

"He's just one of those players who's really measured, really calm, composed, really world class in his craft and he's got the respect of the boys."

Skelton's injury is a second blow for Australia this week as they prepare for a match which could all but earn them a place in the quarter-finals.

Tighthead prop Taniela Tupou will miss the match after sustaining a hamstring strain also described as "minor" by team officials.

That means 34-year-old Slipper, who missed the last two matches with a foot injury, will swap sides of the front row from loosehead as he becomes the third Australian to play in four World Cups.

"There was a point a couple of weeks ago where I probably thought it might not happen," he said. "But