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Carter Gordon ruled out of Wallabies' clash with Portugal
By Finn Morton
The Wallabies have been forced into a late reshuffle on the bench with rising star Carter Gordon a last-minute withdrawal from the team to play Portugal in Saint-Etienne.
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Gordon has been ruled out of the Wallabies’ final Rugby World Cup pool clash with a knee injury, and will be replaced by veteran Samu Kerevi on the bench.
The playmaker has come under fire following a series of underwhelming performances in Wallaby gold. Gordon failed to shine in five consecutive starts in the No. 10 jersey before being dropped last week.
Utility Ben Donaldson was promoted to the starting side after impressing off the pine during the loss to Fiji. Donaldson also received Player of the Match honours against Georgia in Paris.
But the absence of Gordon leaves the Wallabies in a spot of bother. With Donaldson the only proven flyhalf in the squad, there appears to be no cover for the position.
At just 22 years of age, coach Eddie Jones initially picked Gordon as the only flyhalf in the Wallabies’ 33-man World Cup squad. It was a headline-grabbing risk with Jones looking past the likes of Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley.
The decision to take Gordon to the World Cup as the only specialist no 10 was unbelievable, particularly after his showing in the match against the All Blacks at the MCG. But he should have never been put in that position. I can't stand Bernard Foley but they didn't just lose his skills and experience; they lost the determination, grit, and fight that a player like Foley has.