If the Wallabies beat France in Brisbane on Saturday, debutant Declan Meredith should stroll across the road from Suncorp Stadium and order a celebratory beer at the Last Man Standing Brewery.
The pub next door is owned by Steven Bradbury, who won a famous gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics by literally being the last man standing when all his rivals crashed out in the dying stages of the short-track speed skating final.
There is a touch of that this week about Meredith after the Brumbies playmaker was catapulted into a Wallabies No.10 jersey following calf injuries to first- and second-choice five-eighths Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson.
At Australia’s captain’s run on Friday, photographers were overheard asking a Rugby Australia staff member to point out Meredith so they could make sure they were photographing the right player. It is fair to say a sizeable portion of a sold-out Suncorp Stadium crowd will also be getting their first proper glimpse of the 27-year-old, just a week after Australia’s 33-31 defeat to Ireland in Sydney.
The first Wallabies Test played after Bradbury’s gold medal entered Australian sporting folklore was a 29-17 victory over France in Melbourne, orchestrated by Stephen Larkham.
Larkham is not only Meredith’s coach at the Brumbies but arguably Australia’s greatest No.10, putting him in a strong position to judge his playmaker’s prospects at Test level.
The pair have exchanged text messages this week, and Larkham is adamant Meredith is ready for the challenge and confident he can thrive if those around him do their jobs.
“He’s looking forward to it. He’s had a good build-up,” Larkham said of Meredith, who made his debut for the Brumbies in 2023 after impressing in ACT club footy with Wests Lions. “Now he gets a chance just to show that he’s ready.
“He’s got to make sure that he just moves onto the next job as quickly as possible, so that everyone around him gets on the same page. He’s in that position where they are relying on him. He’s been doing that all year [in Super Rugby for the Brumbies].
“Anytime you step into a new team, or that next level up, you need a bit of support around you, and he’s got some familiarity that Ryan [Lonergan] at nine is certainly going to help. They’ve got a really good combination they’ve built through the last couple of seasons. Len [Ikitau] has been in and around Declan’s development as well as Wrighty [Tom Wright], who is at fullback.
“When you look at the way the Wallabies play and we [the Brumbies] play, the fullback has a big influence on the No.10. Having Wrighty around will help.
“He’s well liked in the team and a character off the field. He’s got X-factor that other players don’t have and genuine speed. He can also see space well.”
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson believes Meredith and Lonergan were the form halves combination in Super Rugby, but acknowledged losing both Gordon and Donaldson on the eve of a Test against the world’s No.4-ranked side was “never ideal”. France arrive in Brisbane after a two-point defeat to the All Blacks in New Zealand.
“It’s obviously been a massive week for him,” Wilson said on Friday. “It’s his first Test start at Suncorp Stadium, [as] a boy from Cairns playing in his home state. It’s been really special for him, but he’s just been switched on. He’s been leading the boys around the park. He seems very level-headed. We back him and we believe in him.”
Australia’s hopes of making an impact in the Nations Championship will take a significant hit if they cannot upset France. Since a four-point victory over Argentina in September, the Wallabies have lost eight of nine Tests under outgoing coach Joe Schmidt.
“We’re definitely bothered [by recent result],” Wilson said. “We know we need to win. We had a few really good moments on the weekend [against Ireland], but ultimately those moments weren’t good enough to get the result, and we really have got to start icing them.”
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
