Test rugby is nearly upon us and new Wallabies Head Coach Joe Schmidt is about to pick his first squad with the two-test series against Wales beginning in just over a fortnight.

So far, we know little about what he is thinking. Train-on squad announcements have provided just a rough idea about who will make the matchday twenty-three for the first test on June 6.

Will that team feature overseas-based players? Again, we don’t know, but Schmidt’s comments indicate he is, at the very least, open to the idea.

‘Our priority is the home-based players,’ he said last month. ‘We do definitely want to select from what is currently available in Australia. I wouldn’t rule it (selecting overseas-based players) out completely but it’s not our priority.’

Schmidt will be desperate for a winning start. Wales, though weakened since their demolition of the Wallabies last September, will provide a stern test. Australia will need to use its best available personnel if they hope to trump them.

When you think about the best Wallabies players in recent times, it is hard to go past Marika Koroibete. More than that, the powerhouse winger has been not just one of Australia’s, but one of the world’s finest players since he made his debut in 2018.

Koroibete is everything and more than you want from a modern winger: he carries like a forward, he knows where to be at all times and he empties his tank every week.

His contributions can even swing the outcome of games. Think back to the test match against South Africa in Adelaide two years ago.

His flying cover tackle on Makazole Mapimpi was, arguably, a match-winner for the Wallabies.

It’s not just his gifts as a player, either. Koroibete would also be a calming influence over a young Wallabies team that, frankly, will still be lacking confidence after the disappointments of last year.

It is a team that will need some veterans around to steady the ship moving forward. If selected, Koroibete’s 59 caps would make him, in all probability, the team’s third-most capped player behind James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa.

He is also fit and rested. Last month, Koroibete completed his third season in Japan’s League One.

His 46 appearances there added to 17 Wallabies caps in the same span extrapolates to 21 games per year. He will not be overcooked.

The timing is also good for him. In November, when the Aussies go on their Grand-Slam Spring tour, Japanese-based players will be preparing for their next domestic campaign, therefore off limits.

It’s a matter of using Koroibete now, or losing him.

There are other players based abroad who also deserve consideration. Will Skelton, Brandon Paenga-Amosa (signed with Western Force) Samu Kerevi, Scott Sio and Pete Samu have all still have plenty to offer.

However, load management, injuries, timing and the needs of the team must all be factored in before selecting them.

Paenga-Amosa, recently with Montpellier, has not played in three months, presumably due to injury. Any recall for him will have to wait.

Kerevi is surely behind Hunter Paisami now after the latter’s outstanding Super Rugby Pacific season.

Kerevi could be called up in an injury emergency, but he arguably lacks the versatility to be a bench option in the short term.

As for Samu and Skelton, their seasons are still going in France. Both have semifinals to play this weekend, while Sio should have his feet up after a second straight 20-plus-game season for the Exeter Chiefs.

The spring tour could be the ideal time for the latter three players to return to the fold. Four games in four weeks for the Wallabies will be gruelling and comes on the back of nine previous test matches through the Rugby Championship.

Fresher bodies will be needed. At just one-third of the way through their domestic seasons, European-based players will then be primed to contribute to the Wallabies cause.

Leaving them alone now will also give them the benefit of a full offseason to freshen up. They also will not have too far to travel if called upon in November.

Anyhow, that is then. Now is to time to deal with Wales.

Koroibete is ready, willing and able to help the Wallabies. He could be the difference between them winning and drawing (even losing?) this series.

If you are not convinced by me, look at the accolades bestowed upon him by others: two John Eales Medals in five years (chosen by his teammates), and selection in World Rugby’s 2022 Dream Team. Enough said.

Pick up the phone, Joe.