The Wallabies are set to field a debutant at five-eighth against France on Saturday in Brisbane, and a back-up who has never started a professional game at No.10, after a second experienced playmaker was scratched in as many days with a calf injury.
Brumbies newcomer Declan Meredith is poised to be named in the Wallabies No.10 role on Thursday after Ben Donaldson was ruled out with a calf strain picked up against Ireland at the weekend, according to informed sources unable to comment due to team confidentiality.
The loss of Donaldson comes after Carter Gordon, who started at five-eighth against Ireland, was ruled out on Tuesday for the next two Tests.
The withdrawal of both front-line No.10s means Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will now put his faith in Meredith, the 26-year-old Brumbies playmaker who was called into his first Australian squad only three weeks ago.
After a strong season for the Brumbies, Meredith was preferred in the squad ahead of ACT teammate Tane Edmed, who played 10 Tests last year. The sudden loss of Gordon and Donaldson has not seen Schmidt send an SOS to Edmed, and Tom Lynagh is also unavailable due to injury.
The back-up to Meredith is set to be Reds veteran Jock Campbell, who started at fullback last weekend against Ireland.
Primarily a fullback, Campbell has never started a professional game at No.10 but has stepped into the role mid-game for Queensland in recent seasons after Schmidt asked for the 31-year-old to develop his skills as a first receiver. Campbell, who only returned to the Wallabies last week after an absence of more than 1300 days, played a half for Australia A in a game against Bristol in 2024.
Meredith will be thrown into the furnace against world No.4 France, in front of a crowd of more than 50,000 at Suncorp Stadium. The Cairns-raised playmaker, who debuted for the Brumbies in 2023, will at least have the comfort of two Brumbies on either side of him, with Ryan Lonergan set to be named at No.9 after overcoming a throat knock, and Len Ikitau at inside centre.
Though Ikitau played for Exeter this season, he played with Meredith in seasons prior, and so too Tom Wright, who is set to return to the starting fullback role.
The loss of Gordon and Donaldson to soft-tissue injuries raises more questions about the Wallabies’ training loads, after multiple players – including both of those two – last year suffered muscle strains in Wallabies training weeks.
Meanwhile, Tom Hooper says he’s hopeful teenage sensation Treyvon Pritchard can be retained by Queensland and Rugby Australia after the Wallabies flanker announced he would be returning from England and joining the Reds mid-way through the 2028 season.
Hooper is currently based at the Exeter, and he earned rave reviews in his first season at the club as the Chiefs made the English Premiership final. Hooper was named in the Premiership’s team of the year.
Hooper extended his two-year deal at Exeter for another season recently but also agreed to return to Australia thereafter. The Bathurst product spoke to his previous club the Brumbies and also had talks with the Waratahs, but ended up opting to sign with the Reds, and he will return to Super Rugby in the 2029 season.
“I talked to all three clubs on the east coast, but yeah, it was one of those things, it was a decision that was made holistically,” he said.
“Canberra was where my heart lies. Waratahs being where my brother [Lachie] was and Dan McKellar was at the time, and then Queensland with the strength of the squad, and also I just like how a guy like Vern Cotter operates. He’s a straight shooter and that’s exactly what I’ve always gravitated towards in my career.
“Growth is really important and a new environment, kind of like with my experience going over to Exeter, I can really feel that working.”
Hooper said he’d made his decision prior to McKellar resigning with the Waratahs. He is also hoping he’ll get to call Pritchard a teammate at the Reds, after watching the youngster tear apart defences in the Junior Wallabies’ 34-29 loss to France overnight in Georgia.
Pritchard, who is being pursued by the PNG Chiefs, made 11 tackle busts, ran for 200 metres, scored a try and laid on others.
“Any athlete with that much talent, you certainly want to work with him,” Hooper said. “I’m definitely not the most flashy player, so I know if I can get through a mountain of work, guys like himself and whatever young athletes we’ve got coming through as well, like Timmy Ryan, they’ll finish off some nice tries that I hopefully set up for them.”
Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
