'There's still a massive upside to him': Wallabies praise for Canham in breakout Test campaign

Wallabies assistant Tom Donnelly is confident the best is yet to come for second-rower Josh Canham as the lock's rise continues at Test level.

Canham has emerged as the breakout star for the Wallabies over the first four games of the season, looming as a major weapon ahead of Saturday's second Test against Japan in Townsville.

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The Reds second-rower was one of the best on ground in the sweltering conditions, helping Australia remain unbeaten against the Brave Blossoms.

It continues a remarkable rise for Canham, who entered 2026 with two Test caps and no starts to his name.

He missed the majority of the Super Rugby Pacific season for the Reds, but his strong finish helped power him into contention.

Since his debut start against Ireland, Canham has been a key contributor of the Wallabies' set-piece success, whilst becoming the first lock to ever score a hat-trick for Australia after achieving the feat against Italy.

It comes with Will Skelton ruled out with an Achilles injury, leaving the Victorian-bred product to step up and take over.

“I think he's grown massively in the last four Test matches through that responsibility of running our lineout," Donnelly said.

“We see it during the week with how hard he works to set the team up around our line-up prep, and it's just a bit of confidence and his game's flying off the back of that, really.

"...I think some of his collision work has been a lot better. Obviously, for every big man, your ability to get a low working height is a big challenge, and I think he's really grown in that space, around understanding his body, and how he can use it really effectively to be really physical and dominant in some collisions."

The former All Black believes Canham will continue to grow as he settles into a consistent role within the Test set-up.

"There's still a massive upside to him, massive growth around his consistency, making sure that he's preparing really well every week so he can get those performances that he's put in at the moment," Donnelly added.

Canham's influence will only grow, following the suspension of Miles Amatosero, with the pair starting in last week's win over Japan.

Amatosero will miss this Saturday's match after copping a three-match ban for a dangerous cleanout on opposite number Warner Dearns.