Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has hailed Nathan Sharpe as crucial to his injury-ravaged team less than a year after he was viewed as surplus to requirements.

Deans on Tuesday named Sharpe, preparing for his second last Test on home soil on Saturday night, as his third captain in the Rugby Championship – and fifth over the past 13 months – following the loss of David Pocock and Will Genia to knee injuries.

The 34-year-old appeared to have played his last game for the Wallabies last October when he was dropped from the 22 for the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Auckland.

It would have left him stranded on 99 Tests in a 10-year international career.

But he was picked to notch his century in the bronze play-off against Wales and has since gone from strength-to-strength as Australia have lost injured skipper James Horwill and fellow lock Dan Vickerman.

Sharpe, who originally marked down his retirement for July at the end of the Super Rugby, never once dreamed of a treasured Test appearance where it all began on the Gold Coast.

“It’s rare when you have played at this level for as long as I have to come across something totally new, but to play a Test in my home town is something I would never have imagined happening,” the Western Force stalwart said.

Sharpe’s last Test is set to be the third Bledisloe clash on October 20 in Brisbane but before that he’ll become Australia’s most capped forward, surpassing George Smith’s record of 110.

Deans indicated Sharpe’s professionalism and experience made him an automatic selection to lead the Wallabies against Argentina.

“It’s well deserved,” Deans said. “Sharpey has just been immense for us this year. He’s been superb.

“When you look at the profile of the group at the moment, we’ve lost a lot of experience so he’s become even more important for us.”

While Sharpe will line up for his 109th Test, he will form an odd couple second-row combination with NSW lock Kane Douglas who will make his international debut at Skilled Park, where his brother Luke plays NRL for the Titans.

It was Douglas’s bulk at 202cm and 122kg, and set-piece ability, which saw him beat Rob Simmons in selection to replace Waratahs teammate Sitaleki Timani (hamstring).

“He’s a tight-head lock and our scrum’s been going well and we want to maintain that,” Deans said.