Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has always been one to tell it how he sees it.

As coaches attempt to stay well clear of talking about Joe Schmidt’s future with the Wallabies and players say they’re only focussed on the next week, Salakaia-Loto admits he – and his contemporaries – would be lying if he didn’t already have one eye on taking on the Lions in the winter.

“It’s (the Lions series) something that you want to be a part of,” Salakaia-Loto says. “Everyone here that’s plying their trade in Australia has definitely got one eye on that.

“I think anyone who tells you that they’re focused on just performing for their club is lying. Everyone wants to be a part of it, and you should be wanting to be a part of it.”

Salakaia-Loto even thinks it will help lift the standards of Australia’s Super Rugby four remaining franchises.

“I think it’s only going to bring the best out of the players and then further to that, the teams across the board here in Australia,” he said.

“We’ve got four strong teams now, so hopefully with one eye on that, it’s going to make us stronger and hopefully see some performances across the board.”

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto says he’s learned plenty since last being at the Queensland Reds. Photo: Getty Images

Justin Marshall is one who hopes the heavy timber is right, with the former All Blacks great last week saying Australian rugby needed to pull its finger out for the long-term health and sustainability of the Super Rugby competition.

“Let’s face it, and I’m not saying this arrogantly, it’s factual and the Australians know this. Basically, we tune into the derby games because that’s where the excitement levels are, that’s where the true contest is,” Marshall told DSPN with Martin Devlin.

“In general, throughout the course of the year, it’s very rare that an Australian team would beat a New Zealand team, so we switch off. And that’s our players switching off to a degree as well.

“Yes, they’re still out there and they’ve got some healthy competition, but ultimately 85, 90 per cent of the time they’re winning those games against the Australian sides. It’s not healthy because it’s not creating the edge that they need.”

The experienced Wallaby is one of the many players forced to find a new home because of the sorry demise of the Melbourne Rebels.

Along with fellow second-rower Josh Canham, the duo have arrived from Melbourne and immediately increased the depth and firepower of the Reds’ locking stocks.

Their arrival has immediately given Reds coach Les Kiss a coaching headache, but Salakaia-Loto can only see the benefit of it.

“I think competition is only as healthy as you make it, and we’re all good mates off the field, so I think everyone wants to play and that’s already going to drive guys to really want to work hard and competing is important,” he said.

“You look across the teams that we’re going to be facing this year, each team possesses different threats and plays a different style of gameplay, so I think we’ve got the tools to be able to play real physical with our second-rows or we can play quick and aggressive, so I think we’ve got the ability to switch it up and keep it competitive which is healthy for us.”

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto returned to the Wallabies set up under Joe Schmidt in 2024. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

And what if it means you’re sitting on the sidelines?

“Everyone wants to play, and I think it’s only natural that the guys probably get annoyed when they’re not getting an opportunity,” he said.

“But you look within our group and inside the four walls here at Ballymore and we know that it’s all love, it’s all healthy and it’s a team-first and next-man up attitude here as well if someone was to go down, so as long as the team wins I don’t think anyone would be unhappy or angry.”

Although Salakaia-Loto always thought he’d return to Ballymore, his second-coming arrived much sooner than he anticipated.

Frustrated when he left in 2022, the giant lock, who was developed under Brad Thorn, said it was only when he moved to Northampton in England that many of the life lessons on and off the field sunk in.

“It was something that I needed, but I didn’t realise I needed it until I left,” the 41-capped Wallabies forward said.

“I did a lot of growing up overseas, a lot of growing up in Melbourne. I’ve got two kids now. I’ve got a family of my own.

“There’s a lot of lessons you learn both on and off the field when you leave the nest. That’s what it was for me. It’s like when you leave home and you don’t realise what your parents were telling you when you were young. It doesn’t make sense until reality faces you and I think it’s been the best thing for me.

“It’s crazy to think that a couple of years later that I’m back here at Ballymore. I think those lessons that I’ve learned and experiences that I’ve gained, I’m going to pass on to the guys and hopefully help them if they need it, if they seek it.”

At 28, Salakaia-Loto should be entering his prime.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto says he’s learned plenty since last being at the Queensland Reds. Photo: Getty Images

He also wants to stay at the Reds long-term, but whether or not Queensland can keep him will come down to whether Rugby Australia offers the physical lock a decent national top-up through to the World Cup.

“Yeah, definitely open to anything at this stage,” Salakaia-Loto admitted.

“It’s a home World Cup and you ask anyone past or present if they would love to be involved in a World Cup, they all want to see the same answer.

“At the end of the day, this is home.

“There’s options across the board.

“I’ve just got to be where my feet are at the moment and that’s right here at Ballymore.

“I’ve got to perform well. I’ve got to work hard every day. I know that under Les [Kiss] and under this program it’s going to provide opportunity.”

As much as Salakaia-Loto wants to be part of both showpiece events, the 201cm lock recognises that he needs to narrow the gap between his best and worst on the field.

That was certainly the case last year where his hands let him down at times.

But he was also at his damaging best when brought off the bench under Schmidt during the international season.

It’s why the well-travelled lock has highlighted consistency as his biggest area of improvement.

“Definitely that consistency and just having as much impact as I can on the game,” he said.

“I feel like I can provide that, and I just want to keep getting better each day as a player and person, and I feel like if I do that I feel like I can reach my potential here.”

If he does, it only bodes well for Australian rugby.