Ireland out-half strife pales in comparison to Wallabies' woes

Carter Gordon, the latest player to wear the 10 jersey for Australia this year, said Joe Schmidt has made the Wallabies squad "more like a family".

Carter Gordon became the seventh player to line out at out-half for Australia this year when he featured against Italy last weekend. Pic: STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images

If neither Jack Crowley nor Sam Prendergast have done enough just yet to make a decisive case for Ireland’s No.10 jersey then the debate on these shores is a mere trifle compared to the uncertainty that reigns at out-half for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.

Australia will play their 14th Test of the calendar year at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening and the head coach has already used no less than seven men in the crucial playmaking pocket to date.

It’s an unsustainable turnstile that has to be stopped.

Noah Lolesio had made a strong case for the long-term job in 2024 but injury in the last November series, and another against Fiji in the summer that keeps him sidelined for six months, prompted the two-time world champions into scramble mode.

They haven’t stopped since. Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson brought less than 20 Test caps to the arena but still provided the one-two punch at ten for Schmidt’s side during that summer Test series. And both are currently unavailable.

The vastly-experienced, versatile and at times controversial James O’Connor was drafted in off the Crusaders bench for a major role during the Rugby Championship. Now a Leicester Tiger, the 35-year old is back in camp as of this week.

Tane Edmed played his fair share in that Rugby Championship as well but hasn’t made a solid enough case either, while Hamish Stewart, another adaptable back, provided cover in the southern hemisphere bunfight at both out-half and at centre.

That’s six so far.

Carter Gordon made it seven last weekend in Udine in defeat to Italy. Still only 24, Gordon hadn’t played for the Wallabies since the 2023 World Cup, after which he took a detour to NRL for two seasons with the Gold Coast Titans.

Now with the Queensland Reds, Gordon has been struggling with a quad strain that he hopes won’t limit his kicking if selected for the Aviva Stadium encounter, but this is yet another green operator given he still has to reach double figures for caps.

Takes on his showing against the Azzurri vary.

Where some saw the stunning break in the first quarter and the dancing feet that earned him a try in the third before coming off as a precaution with that slight injury issue, former Wallaby coach Eddie Jones saw a “tough old day” for him.

Jones, speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, expressed his confidence in a talented player but felt the Italians had targeted Gordon who found it tough to operate on his first day back and play to the strategy adopted by Schmidt.

“It felt unreal,” said Gordon of his return to the green and gold. “I mean, any time you get the opportunity to play for your country, it's massive.

“And for me, having a tough year and really not having any idea of what was going to be happening throughout the year, and then getting a chance to come back to union and playing for the Wallabies, it’s massive and something I'm extremely grateful for.” 

Australia’s ongoing issues at No.10, a position crucial to their wider rebuild, were highlighted when it was announced in mid-October that the Titans were releasing him from his contract a year early after a spell in NRL that was marred by a spinal injury.

Negotiations over his return to union had taken weeks, and ended with a reported settlement made by Rugby Australia, but he was named in the Wallabies squad for this tour within 90 minutes of his departure from the Gold Coast being confirmed.

Only that iffy quad kept him sidelined against Japan in Tokyo and against England in Tokyo.

“I was lucky enough to be able to get a few weeks training in before I came back playing, and that really helped me get up to speed and understand how we wanted to play as a team.

“I just want to get out there and do my job and get the boys around. It’s such a tight group. They respond really well to each other. I just want to play my game and be confident as a player and as a person.” 

His last experience of the Wallabies was that disastrous World Cup experience under Jones whose selection oddities and toxic nature all but torched Australia’s campaign and undid much of the good work put in by his predecessor Dave Rennie.

Now he has Schmidt calling the shots and he’s been impressed.

“He’s an unbelievable coach in the way that he has brought the team together, made it more like a family. The detail he goes into, that was something I noticed. He’s been great for me. I’ve adapted pretty quickly. It’s been refreshing.”