Latest news with #2023RugbyWorldCup
Japan Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Harry Wilson's late try saves Australia in 21-18 win over Fiji
Australia's Harry Wilson, wearing a red helmet, celebrates scoring a try against Fiji during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) rugby union A last-gasp try by captain Harry Wilson has salvaged a dramatic 21-18 win for Australia on Sunday in its international season-opener against Fiji. Wilson twisted and spun over from close range after several minutes of the Wallabies pressuring the Fijian line defense to earn a narrow, comeback victory that had appeared unlikely after a stunning Fijian rally. Wilson's try with less than two minutes remaining saved what would have been a difficult two weeks of reflection for the Wallabies ahead of the series-opening test against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane on July 19. A spectacular long-range try for Fiji midway through the second half appeared to be enough for the visitors to claim a another famous victory over Australia — the latest being at the 2023 Rugby World Cup — before Wilson's late intervention. After a frantic start from both teams, the Wallabies found the line through hooker Dave Porecki, playing his first test in almost two years since the 2023 World Cup, when he dived over from the back of a rolling maul in the eighth minute. Noah Lolesio added the conversion. The best move of the first half — frequently punctuated by stoppages which stifled any match momentum — led to the Wallabies' second try when a sweeping backline move featuring Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaali'i allowed Fraser McReight to score in the corner. Lolesio again converted to stretch the lead to 14-0. Fullback Salesi Rayasi responded almost immediately for Fiji just before the halftime break, somehow finding space to to wriggle through the defense to score in the corner after his team had counterattacked from an ill-advised chip kick by the Wallabies. The Australians had only needed to maintain possession for a few seconds more to preserve a 14-point margin into the break. Flyhalf Caleb Muntz missed the conversion from the sideline for a 14-5 half-time score. The Wallabies may have dominated the first half, but it was all Fiji in the second. Muntz added a penalty goal after the break to narrow the margin to six points before the match was upended by some vintage Flying Fiji attack. Jiuta Wainiqolo gained possession after broken play inside Fiji's half, the winger then slalomed his way through four defenders in a weaving run before guiding a looping pass for Lekima Tagitagivalu to score and spark jubilant celebrations by the large number of Fiji supporters at Newcastle. Muntz converted to give Fiji a 15-14 lead. The Fijians almost went further ahead, appearing to score another thrilling try down the same right flank but it was overruled by the Television Match Official who found that an Australian player had stepped into touch while in possession in the leadup to the try. Another Muntz penalty goal extended the lead to four points with 14 minutes remaining, and meant Australia needed to score at least a try for victory. The battered Wallabies have two weeks to recover before the much-anticipated first test against the Lions. On Saturday, the Lions maintained their unbeaten record on their Australian tour with a third straight win, but delivered their least convincing performance yet against a depleted New South Wales Waratahs lineup missing most of its Wallabies. The match ended with a hint of controversy, with Lions head coach Andy Farrell suggesting the Allianz Stadium surface had been intentionally over-watered by the Waratahs to disrupt his team's style of play. The Lions have a tour match against Australia's strongest provincial team, the Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
IOL News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Springboks' 'golden oldies' must get comfortable in 'dark place' to make it to 2027 World Cup
FILE - Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus put his players through the ringer during their pre-season camp in Johannesburg. Image: Ryan Wilkisky / Backpagepix Ever since the dust settled after the Springboks' triumphant 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign there has been speculation about who of the team's golden generation will make it to a 2027 showpiece event in Australia. Many core members of the team will be in their mid-30s to late 30s once the tournament arrives. Some of these giants of the game may not even make it that far, as many of the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup winners are heading towards the twilight of their careers. Coach Rassie Erasmus has been honest in talking about being concerned about his aging squad of players. In 2024, he started to blend more fresh faces into the team and rotated heavily in an effort to build more capacity. The Springbok coach used no less than 50 players during the international season, which included 12 debutants. Ageing Springbok teams failed to win the Webb-Ellis cup in 2011 and 2015, because succession planning took a backseat to results. Erasmus, however, has had a bit more freedom to blood new players because of the success they have enjoyed over the last six years. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ But the players coming in have blended in seamlessly in the Springboks set-up, with the Siya Kolisi's men winning 11 out of their 13 Test matches last year. Erasmus is not the type of coach who sits around and waits for things to unfold. It's why he has been actively busy with the painful business of rebuilding a double World Cup-winning squad. And, in 2025, he has taken it a step further. Erasmus is now putting his players through grueling fitness and performance tests before the start of the international season. The first one took place during their camp in Johannesburg, where the players were taken to a 'dark place' during their assessments. Earlier this week wing Cheslin Kolbe said it was the toughest pre-season camp he had ever experienced. Erasmus, for all his loving and caring traits, is a no-nonsense operator that puts the team first. And, by doing these gruelling assessments, is monitoring his senior players to determine whether they can still meet the physical demands of playing Test rugby for the Boks at a high level.. He doesn't want to repeat the mistakes his predecessors made by picking players for a World Cup on reputation, rather than form. 'With our squad profile, compared to what we were in 2019 and 2023, we started to bring in more game specific fitness tests. It's not like bronco or a bleep test, but something we think works in our team,' Erasmus told the media in Cape Town ahead of their season opener against the Barbarians on Saturday. 'You can now compare apples with apples, and start seeing that 'this guy's age is catching up with him', because we look through analysis and battle stats. 'Some people may see the bad things, but other people might see the momentum shift plays in scrums or lineouts or breakdowns. We wanted to get something to compare young guys, average guys and older guys, and say 'this is the starting point'. For some of the guys who didn't make their markers, we were quite tough on them.'
Wales Online
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Today's rugby news as Lions warned of 'public punishment' and team land with two big concerns
Today's rugby news as Lions warned of 'public punishment' and team land with two big concerns The latest headlines as the British & Irish Lions arrive in Australia British and Irish Lions' coach Andy Farrell (L) is greeted by fans upon his arrival at the Perth International Airport (Image: AFP or licensors ) These are your latest rugby headlines on Monday, June 23. Lions warned of public punishment Australian coach Matt Williams has warned the British and Irish Lions that they could be "publicly punished" if they approach their three Test series against the Wallabies with any sense of entitlement. Less than a year ago, the merits of the 2025 tour were being questioned, with many in the game arguing that there would be little to no competitive edge after Australia were unceremoniously dumped out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Led by Eddie Jones, that campaign in France saw them knocked out in the pool stages for the first time ever, with their dismal run of results including a humiliating 40-6 defeat at the hands of Wales. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. However, under the guidance of Joe Schmidt, and with the arrival of dual-code poster boy Joseph Suaali'i, Australia have shown marked signs of improvement and beat both England and Wales during last year's autumn internationals, as well as coming close to upsetting Ireland in a narrow three-point defeat. While the tour has still been questioned by some, former Scotland boss Williams has reinforced the idea that the rugby union landscape in Australia has changed and the Lions should not just expect to win the series. Writing in his Irish Times column, Williams said: "Those in the north need to understand that there have been sweeping changes since [the 2023 Rugby World Cup]. With former players Daniel Herbert as chairman and Phil Waugh as CEO, Australia have competent leaders with a high rugby intellect. Article continues below 'For the first time in two decades, Australian rugby has changed for the better. While there remains a long and rocky path ahead, the game in Oz is moving forward. "Resilience is a word that gets tossed about far too easily, but across the last 18 months, I have been astounded at the resilience within Australian professional rugby ranks." He added: 'While it will take a decade for the full effect of the long-term planning to take effect, the elite end of the game is recovering far quicker than I considered possible. It is recovering to the extent that the Wallabies are capable of calling on a very strong 23 players. "With the expected return of a number of Australian players from France and Japan, who were unavailable in recent seasons, and the stardust that Joseph Sua'ali'i will provide, the Wallabies will have vastly different personnel than the World Cup of two years ago. "More importantly, the Lions will face a contest far more ferocious than many in the northern hemisphere are predicting. Any sense of entitlement from the Lions will be punished in a very public manner." Farrell reveals concerns for duo By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Perth The British and Irish Lions touched down in Australia with head coach Andy Farrell revealing there are lingering injury concerns over Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan. Farrell's squad arrived into Perth after a 20-hour journey from Dublin via Doha ahead of Saturday's opening fixture on Australian soil against the Western Force. There is doubt over whether Ireland duo Gibson-Park and Keenan will be able to take part at Optus Stadium because of respective glute and calf problems, but Scotland centre Huw Jones has recovered from an Achilles issue and is available. 'We'll see how they pull up in midweek,' Farrell said of Gibson-Park and Keenan. 'Huw Jones is good, he's been training. He trained fully with us last week so he's up and running.' Farrell confirmed that the team against Western Force will mostly be made up of players from Leinster, Bath and Leicester, who joined up with the Lions after last Saturday's United Rugby Championship and Gallagher Premiership finals. There were no fresh injuries arising from Friday's 28-24 defeat by Argentina at the Aviva Stadium, with Farrell keen not to dwell on the disappointing tour send-off. 'We're here to build for what's going to be a fantastic Test series. We want to play some good rugby along the way,' he said. 'We'll find out more about each other as we keep on going. Of course we'll analyse what went on against Argentina and why, but that's all part of the journey – to understand where we need to go next. 'It's great to be here, this is what it's all about. We're here for a good time. Hopefully we can start this part of the tour off really well on Saturday.' Aki airs midfield frustrations Lions star Bundee Aki has spoken of his frustration at how his centre partnership with Sione Tuipulotu fared during the defeat to Argentina in Dublin on Friday. The Ireland and Scotland internationals got their first taste of playing alongside each other in midfield but had a tough evening, as while there were encouraging signs with ball in hand, too often attacks fell apart with key passes not sticking. Reflecting on the 28-24 defeat, Aki - who also toured with the Lions in 2021 - said: "We all know how Sione is as a player, he's class. "The frustrating thing for me was I wasn't able to connect well with him. He's an unbelievable player and there's no excuse, we've got to get better as a partnership going forward. "He speaks out loud, which is good because that's what we need, him being himself and I just feed off him and he feeds off me. So it's brilliant. "We've just got to be better at it and keep learning together, the more we grow as a partnership and then as a group, it's going to be better and beneficial for the group." British and Irish Lions' Bundee Aki (Image: PA Wire/PA Images ) Both Aki and Tuipulotu more regularly play at inside centre, while fellow Lions tourists Garry Ringrose, Huw Jones and Elliot Daly are all more used to featuring at outside centre. Tuipulotu has a very established partnership with Jones for both Glasgow and Scotland, while Aki and Ringrose are both familiar with each others' games having played alongside each other for Ireland. "Whoever it is," Aki continued. "Garry, Huw, Elliot... as a unit we've got to make sure we gel together and try to get that cohesiveness fairly quick, because we need to be better." Curry: There's no time to waste By PA News Agency Tom Curry has warned his British and Irish team-mates they can not afford to waste a moment in their search for respect as they target an immediate response to their defeat by Argentina. The Lions arrived in Perth on Sunday smarting from the 28-24 loss at the Aviva Stadium that drew a scathing assessment from head coach Andy Farrell, who refused to blame the squad's lack of familiarity for the setback. Western Force provide the first opportunity to make amends for the error-strewn opener and Curry, a tourist with the elite of British and Irish rugby in 2021, knows time is of the essence if the team are to be ready to face Australia. "The thing with this sport and this tour is that it comes and goes so quickly. You've got to make the most of it,' the England flanker said. 'Every meeting and every session. Before you know it we'll be playing in Australia so we can't let moments pass us by. 'We speak a lot about respect with our own team-mates. We've only got six weeks together. Respect is so hard to earn but so easy to lose. It's really important that every session and meeting we turn up and push in the right direction. 'We have got to pull tighter, it's the only way. I feel like this group has taken so many steps off the field. I haven't got a bad word to say about anyone.' Against Argentina the Lions showed ambition in attack and dominated at the scrum, but the vast number of handling errors, malfunctioning line-out and vulnerability in the air are areas of pressing concern. Curry, who impressed outside of his own dropped passes, echoed Farrell's warning that a lack of time together must not be seen as a barrier to success on the tour. 'We've nipped that in the bud straight away. You can get to the sixth week and still make the same excuse. Six weeks is not a long time so we can't make that excuse the whole way through,' he said. Article continues below 'We need to take personal responsibility for our own performances and how excited we get on the ball. 'On the flip side, it's really exciting because we got our hands on the ball and got into great spots. But come on, we need to take personal responsibility for the ball when we have it.'
Wales Online
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Owen Farrell: I walked away from England after Wales incident created 'perfect storm'
Owen Farrell: I walked away from England after Wales incident created 'perfect storm' The fly-half has opened up about walking away from international rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup Farrell says the fallout from his red card against Wales created the "perfect storm" (Image:) Former England captain Owen Farrell has opened up about his decision to step away from international rugby and the incident in a match against Wales that ultimately proved a tipping point for him. On Monday, it was confirmed that the 33-year-old had returned to English rugby by rejoining Saracens after an injury-hit campaign with Racing 92 in France. He had joined the Top 14 side in a mega-money deal last summer, but endured a frustrating season across the Channel, leading him to cut his deal short and return to his boyhood club. His move back to England has made him eligible for Steve Borthwick's side once again, but Farrell remains undecided on when or even if he wants to return to the international scene, having announced in the wake of his team's 2023 World Cup exit that he would be stepping away from Test rugby for an unspecified period of time for the sake of his and his family's mental well-being. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. It came after the fly-half came in for heavy criticism for his performances at the tournament in France, despite England finishing in third place overall after a last-gasp one-point defeat to eventual champions South Africa in the semi-finals. While Farrell impressed in that game, he was taken aback by the treatment he received from his side's own fans, having been booed before England's quarter-final clash with Fiji. In a new interview with The Telegraph, however, the Saracens man says everything started to fall apart weeks before the World Cup began, as he was sent off for a high tackle on Wales' Taine Basham during their warm-up match at Twickenham. Article continues below Huge controversy followed, with the red card initially overturned before World Rugby appealed against the decision, leading to him being banned for England's first two World Cup matches. The backlash involved, Farrell says, created the "perfect storm" as his own fans began to turn on him. 'I didn't mean to make the tackle like that," he told the publication as he reflected on the incident nearly two years on. "It was an accident, but what came with it threw me because I had sat down before the World Cup and said I was determined to make it the best time of my career. 'I felt like I was playing well enough towards the end of that year and wanted to kick on and enjoy playing with England and do the best that I can. What came after was tough because it was a lot. 'But it was only me not being able to deal with it. It was getting on top of me a bit. The World Cup was tough and I felt that this was not like it should be playing for my country, playing for England, I have loved playing for England throughout my career. 'I found the games a time to get away from everything else. The weeks were hard enough. It was getting on top of me, and it didn't feel right. It really didn't feel right and I don't want to ever make out that is what is it like to play for England because it was not. "It was me. It was what I was going through. I don't know. A build-up of everything. I don't know how long for, it might have been years," he added. 'I could make sense of it all individually. I could make sense of the criticism, I could make sense of the booing, and I could make sense of everything that was going on. But put it all together and it felt like it was non-stop. It was overwhelming." Admitting that everything "seemed to hit the fan" in the wake of the controversy, Farrell continued: 'In the past, when I was younger, people thought I didn't care. I did care. Everyone thinks that I didn't because I was competitive. But stuff did hurt. "I overthink everything anyway, but I always just thought it was all just part of it, and I would fight against it and suppress it. I had wanted to enjoy it, but everything seemed to hit the fan after that.' 'The one thing is that I am remarkably lucky to have the people around me, otherwise I wouldn't have got there." Quizzed on whether he is interested in returning to international duty with England, Farrell added that he was focusing on "getting back to being happy and lov[ing] my rugby again", with his return to Saracens at the forefront of his mind currently. However, he left the door open to a potential comeback, adding: 'Who knows what I will feel like in six months or a year's time. The key behind all of it is that I am determined to be happy. Article continues below 'I have changed. Not in a way that is unrecognisable from before. But I have changed. I have looked at myself a lot and am still doing now. This is what makes me so determined to get it right.'
The Advertiser
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Selection shock: Gordon fancied for Wallabies captaincy
Jake Gordon has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against the touring British and Irish Lions in what looms as the biggest captaincy selection shock since the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP understands that, unless Joe Schmidt has a late rethink, Gordon will be unveiled as Australia's 91st Test captain for the showpiece three-match series starting in Brisbane on July 19. Coach Schmidt plans to name a squad of up to 40 players next Monday, or the following week if the ACT Brumbies - Australia's last team standing - win their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final on Saturday against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Either way, Gordon is favoured to take over from incumbent skipper Harry Wilson in one of sport's great comeback tales. Snubbed by Eddie Jones for Australia's disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Gordon was all set to head to the English Premiership this year before Schmidt convinced the classy scrum-half to stay in Sydney. Despite his NSW side failing to make the Super finals for a second straight season, and claiming the wooden spoon last year, Gordon has proven an inspirational captain for the Waratahs since 2021. Now it seems the 31-year-old also ticks all the boxes for Schmidt. Gordon started all nine Tests last year for Wallabies, is a great communicator and leads sides with both his words and actions. Few could fault Wilson's performances for the Wallabies but the Reds star is competing with a plethora of talent for a back-row starting berth, making Gordon a safer option as captain. Like Gordon, Wilson was also overlooked by Jones for the 2023 World Cup before taking over from Reds teammate Liam Wright and captaining his country eight times last year. While Wilson remains firmly in contention for a starting role, Schmidt also has the likes of Fraser McReight, dual John Eales Medallist Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Seru Uru, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny and others trying to squeeze into the Wallabies back has also signalled his intention to bring Pete Samu back into the fold from France in an indication he may opt for a bulkier back row against the might of the Lions. If, as expected, Gordon gets the nod, his elevation will rank alongside James Horwill's surprise promotion to the Wallabies captaincy for the World Cup in New Zealand 14 years ago. Back then, journalists and fans were left gobsmacked when Horwill was revealed as the new captain, replacing Rocky Elsom, only when Robbie Deans' Wallabies squad was paraded individually out of a plane at the Qantas hangar in Sydney. Only in April, Gordon was linked to a move to Exeter in the English Premiership before revealing Schmidt's influence in reviving his international career had left him with "unfinished business" in Australia ahead of the Lions series and 2027 home World Cup. "I really enjoyed my time with the Wallabies last year and really enjoyed my time with Joe. He was really good for my development at Test level and, yeah, I see the opportunity we have here too," Gordon said after re-signing with RA and the Waratahs for two more years. The progression that we've had has been really good and I'm not sure if there'd be regret (if I left but) there's a possibility of that. "I want to keep competing - not that I wouldn't going over there - but I see a really exciting opportunity here in the next two years. "I want to be a part of it, definitely." Jake Gordon has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against the touring British and Irish Lions in what looms as the biggest captaincy selection shock since the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP understands that, unless Joe Schmidt has a late rethink, Gordon will be unveiled as Australia's 91st Test captain for the showpiece three-match series starting in Brisbane on July 19. Coach Schmidt plans to name a squad of up to 40 players next Monday, or the following week if the ACT Brumbies - Australia's last team standing - win their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final on Saturday against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Either way, Gordon is favoured to take over from incumbent skipper Harry Wilson in one of sport's great comeback tales. Snubbed by Eddie Jones for Australia's disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Gordon was all set to head to the English Premiership this year before Schmidt convinced the classy scrum-half to stay in Sydney. Despite his NSW side failing to make the Super finals for a second straight season, and claiming the wooden spoon last year, Gordon has proven an inspirational captain for the Waratahs since 2021. Now it seems the 31-year-old also ticks all the boxes for Schmidt. Gordon started all nine Tests last year for Wallabies, is a great communicator and leads sides with both his words and actions. Few could fault Wilson's performances for the Wallabies but the Reds star is competing with a plethora of talent for a back-row starting berth, making Gordon a safer option as captain. Like Gordon, Wilson was also overlooked by Jones for the 2023 World Cup before taking over from Reds teammate Liam Wright and captaining his country eight times last year. While Wilson remains firmly in contention for a starting role, Schmidt also has the likes of Fraser McReight, dual John Eales Medallist Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Seru Uru, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny and others trying to squeeze into the Wallabies back has also signalled his intention to bring Pete Samu back into the fold from France in an indication he may opt for a bulkier back row against the might of the Lions. If, as expected, Gordon gets the nod, his elevation will rank alongside James Horwill's surprise promotion to the Wallabies captaincy for the World Cup in New Zealand 14 years ago. Back then, journalists and fans were left gobsmacked when Horwill was revealed as the new captain, replacing Rocky Elsom, only when Robbie Deans' Wallabies squad was paraded individually out of a plane at the Qantas hangar in Sydney. Only in April, Gordon was linked to a move to Exeter in the English Premiership before revealing Schmidt's influence in reviving his international career had left him with "unfinished business" in Australia ahead of the Lions series and 2027 home World Cup. "I really enjoyed my time with the Wallabies last year and really enjoyed my time with Joe. He was really good for my development at Test level and, yeah, I see the opportunity we have here too," Gordon said after re-signing with RA and the Waratahs for two more years. The progression that we've had has been really good and I'm not sure if there'd be regret (if I left but) there's a possibility of that. "I want to keep competing - not that I wouldn't going over there - but I see a really exciting opportunity here in the next two years. "I want to be a part of it, definitely." Jake Gordon has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against the touring British and Irish Lions in what looms as the biggest captaincy selection shock since the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP understands that, unless Joe Schmidt has a late rethink, Gordon will be unveiled as Australia's 91st Test captain for the showpiece three-match series starting in Brisbane on July 19. Coach Schmidt plans to name a squad of up to 40 players next Monday, or the following week if the ACT Brumbies - Australia's last team standing - win their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final on Saturday against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Either way, Gordon is favoured to take over from incumbent skipper Harry Wilson in one of sport's great comeback tales. Snubbed by Eddie Jones for Australia's disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Gordon was all set to head to the English Premiership this year before Schmidt convinced the classy scrum-half to stay in Sydney. Despite his NSW side failing to make the Super finals for a second straight season, and claiming the wooden spoon last year, Gordon has proven an inspirational captain for the Waratahs since 2021. Now it seems the 31-year-old also ticks all the boxes for Schmidt. Gordon started all nine Tests last year for Wallabies, is a great communicator and leads sides with both his words and actions. Few could fault Wilson's performances for the Wallabies but the Reds star is competing with a plethora of talent for a back-row starting berth, making Gordon a safer option as captain. Like Gordon, Wilson was also overlooked by Jones for the 2023 World Cup before taking over from Reds teammate Liam Wright and captaining his country eight times last year. While Wilson remains firmly in contention for a starting role, Schmidt also has the likes of Fraser McReight, dual John Eales Medallist Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Seru Uru, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny and others trying to squeeze into the Wallabies back has also signalled his intention to bring Pete Samu back into the fold from France in an indication he may opt for a bulkier back row against the might of the Lions. If, as expected, Gordon gets the nod, his elevation will rank alongside James Horwill's surprise promotion to the Wallabies captaincy for the World Cup in New Zealand 14 years ago. Back then, journalists and fans were left gobsmacked when Horwill was revealed as the new captain, replacing Rocky Elsom, only when Robbie Deans' Wallabies squad was paraded individually out of a plane at the Qantas hangar in Sydney. Only in April, Gordon was linked to a move to Exeter in the English Premiership before revealing Schmidt's influence in reviving his international career had left him with "unfinished business" in Australia ahead of the Lions series and 2027 home World Cup. "I really enjoyed my time with the Wallabies last year and really enjoyed my time with Joe. He was really good for my development at Test level and, yeah, I see the opportunity we have here too," Gordon said after re-signing with RA and the Waratahs for two more years. The progression that we've had has been really good and I'm not sure if there'd be regret (if I left but) there's a possibility of that. "I want to keep competing - not that I wouldn't going over there - but I see a really exciting opportunity here in the next two years. "I want to be a part of it, definitely."
