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Gordon's season-ending injury puts cloud over Wallabies halfback stocks

Jake Gordon of the Wallabies warms up ahead of the second test of the series between Australia Wallabies and British & Irish Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
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Jake Gordon’s hopes of retaining the Wallabies scrumhalf jersey ahead of the Rugby World Cup have been dealt a major setback, with the star No.9 ruled out weeks before the beginning of the Test season.

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Gordon went down in the first half of the NSW Waratahs’ 31-25 loss to the Western Force on Saturday after taking a quick tap and falling after a couple of steps.

Gordon looked gutted and in extreme pain as he was assessed by a medico, before being carried off the field by two trainers.

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On Monday, the Waratahs confirmed that he had undergone a successful surgery on a torn Achilles.

“The scrumhalf will be sidelined for a significant period and will miss the Wallabies’ upcoming Nations Championship campaign,” the statement said.

Gordon’s absence is a fresh blow for the side as they prepare for the Nations Championship kicking off on July 4 and next year’s home World Cup.

It will also add fuel to the fire on who will become Australia’s first-choice No.9 with Tate McDermott only returning from a long-term hamstring injury in May.

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ACT Brumbies playmaker Ryan Lonergan and Queensland Reds Kalani Thomas also loom as options.

Retired Wallaby James Slipper threw his support behind Gordon after hearing the news.

“I texted him the other day once I heard the news, so it’s extremely disappointing for Jake,” Slipper told AAP.

“He’s a big cog in the Wallabies team … he’ll be sorely missed. It’s one of those injuries that you don’t want to see anyone get.

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“One thing I do know is that he’ll come back stronger from that so we’re all behind him.”

Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said after the Force game that he was “shattered” for the scrumhalf.

“No one cares about New South Wales and the Waratahs more than Jake, and just for him to do it in the last game of the season before the Test season is about to begin – disappointing,” McKellar said.

 

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NoLongerARuck 43 minutes ago
Jake White: Test rugby has changed a lot since I was Bok coach

Yeah rugby has changed alot and that has to do with the massive physical demands being placed on peak athletes and the professionalisation of the sport. Athletes these days are subject to strict conditioning standards and have to eat right, drink right, train right, rest right and play with the right technique. The phsical standards in rugby have become increasingly professionalised and rugbys athletes now compare with any top tier sport globally. Games are up, increased intensity of collisions, the effects of multiple collisions are now well known by medicine and the cumulative stress modern rugby takes on the body is well studied. Caps are not being handed out for fun, its become a necessity to rest and rotate or injuries can become inevitable. Some might argue that injuries are already inevitable for the modern rugby player, I struggle to name one who hasnt faced a serious career threatening injury. Stats have become more relevant and informs innovation. Innovation has become essential for success. Those who stand still achieve little. Coaching teams are ballooning because you have to find coaches that see the game differently and who can give you an edge. The inches now matter in rugby and is often the difference between success and failure. Players are increasingly becoming mercenaries, you go where the money is and your players play around the world. Rugby is no longer a regional game but is become increasingly globalised. The world cup matters most because it has become the ultimate success to win it. Its now the hardest comp in the world to win. Traditionalists want their players to play at home, they want fewer subs, the best players to play more, they want to maintain the sanctity of the the cap and they find stats hollow. They see the game that used to be and wonder where its gone. The game grew up, the game evolved and if you dont evolve with it you lose. It about time the traditionalists grew up.

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