‘I was very raw': Skelton's 12-year journey back to facing the Lions
Last April, Skelton told this masthead he had doubts about making the Wallabies squad, citing his form slump with La Rochelle.
After a nine-game losing streak, La Rochelle and Skelton eventually found their form with five wins in a row, finishing seventh, one place outside the Top 14 playoffs.
The club's final placing provided a silver lining for the Wallabies, who will enjoy a rare training build-up with Skelton ahead of potentially facing Fiji for the first Test of 2025 on 6 July in Newcastle.
'It's probably my first time in a while that I've been selected in the squad and been able to relish that moment beforehand...and to be able to prep well with the boys in the first campaign of 2025, I think that's really special. I'll keep that close to my heart and I'll really never take that for granted.'
In the past 12 years since the Lions last visited Australia, Skelton's career has reached heights he never imagined when he ran out at the old Sydney Football Stadium as an exuberant 21-year-old.
The second-rower may not have quite appreciated the magnitude of the tour then, but now if selected for the Wallabies to play in the Test series, it will be a highlight in an already decorated career.
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'It would be the pinnacle, no? Like, with the World Cups, the Bledisloe Cup, and you've got the Lions tour that comes every 12 years.
'It's very special and a lot of players have been putting their hand up to try and play in those games, that's an occasion where everyone wants to be playing.'
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