It’s time for the SOS to be made to the experienced no.10s in Australia

The injury rumours that circulated in the media earlier in the week about Carter Gordon have proven to be incorrect, but that doesn’t erase the discourse that followed the reporting.

Gordon has had an injury-riddled return to rugby since his stint in the NRL, and it has put a strain on the Wallaby playmaking stocks.

It’s clear that there is no preferred or trusted back-up to Gordon currently in the Wallabies squad, and coach Les Kiss cannot afford to be sentimental; he must deal with the issue at hand.

Gordon hasn’t managed more than two full games in the six Tests played so far in 2026, and if his body doesn’t come right by the end of the Test season, Kiss must have more than a break-glass stand-in waiting in the wings.

Kiss has passed the baton to Ben Donaldson this weekend, but whether he has an outstanding performance or not, it is clear the flyhalf trio of Gordon, Donaldson, and Declan Meredith is racing the clock to be at the requisite level to spur the Wallabies to greater heights.

To broaden the selection pool at flyhalf with more experienced options aligns with Kiss’s mantra of ‘building depth,’ a key phrase during his short three-game tenure thus far, yet this ideology has not extended to his flyhalves.

“Now, I ?need to know that I’ve got two good 15s. That’s what I ?need to get to,” Kiss told reporters via video call last Friday before the Argentina match in Jujuy.

“Each test match ?certainly narrows it down, but I don’t want to come down to just the 15. ?If that number gets larger, then that competitive pressure, I really do believe, can help the team thrive.”

Kiss, like his predecessor Joe Schmidt, is finding this depth by backing a few young guns here and there.

Josh Canham is the find of the year for Schmidt, and Kiss has also brought on Isaac Henry, which so far seems to be a natural and timely fit in the centres.

Similarly, Kiss capped Wallaby no.1000, Massimo De Lutiis, who has added stock to a solid tight-head prop group.

Elsewhere, like at loosehead prop, the talent pool is shallow, but nowhere more so than the halves, the playmakers, the no.9s and no.10s.

Ryan Lonergan, as Kiss describes, has “locked away that no.9 (position) with that goal kicking.” His game-driving ability is also elite, and the skill in that department after him falls away quickly without experienced Jake Gordon being fit to play.

Then there is the no.10 jersey; the most heavily rotated position of the Schmidt tenure, and it will equally be so under Kiss unless he can do what Schmidt could not: keep a no.10 on the field.

While an injury to the playmaker isn’t dependent on the coach, the inability to decide on a flyhalf or to field one option regularly has been an issue for Australian rugby as far back as Michael Cheika.

Schmidt chose Lolesio, and it was clear he was to reach almost 50 caps had it not been for a horrid neck injury against Fiji at the beginning of 2025, ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour.

Schmidt then turned to Tom Lynagh, but the son of the former Wallaby was plagued by injury and head knocks, which have seen him play limited minutes since midway through 2025.

Schmidt then used a combination of Tane Edmed, Ben Donaldson, James O’Connor, and C. Gordon when he returned from the NRL.

In the end, Gordon was clearly the favoured playmaker under Schmidt, and is top dog now under Kiss, but the apparent fragility of C. Gordon’s body as he returns fully from his lengthy injury lay-off in 2025 means there’s no guarantee his body will come good by the end of 2026.

The thing people must understand is that when you are bedridden for so long, as Gordon was after a spinal fluid leak, the body is playing catch-up.

That inactivity- the consistent lying down, sitting, being off your feet, and subsequent rehab forces your body to recalibrate while focusing on the injury that forced you off the field in the first place.

In these times, it’s easy to hyperfixate on the injured part of the body and neglect other imbalances, which can lead to injury.

Gordon is in the midst of getting back to his fittest now, and while he will get there eventually, he is nonetheless not there yet.

Kiss must accept that this could be the story for the rest of the Wallabies’ season in 2026; Kiss must therefore make selection moves now to reflect that.

Western Force playmaker and the most consistent Australian flyhalf of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific competition, Donaldson, will get his first starting role in more than two years in Mendoza on Saturday.

He has a good kicking game, improved defence, and has grown his voice to be a genuine commander at Test level, but it is clear that he has had his detractors.

It was evident that Schmidt never trusted him, and Kiss so far has not shown great confidence in him either, choosing to start rookie Meredith when Gordon has been unfit, and bringing Gordon straight back in when healthy.

Whether Donaldson vindicates himself or not in Mendoza is immaterial, with Gordon being a glass cannon for the minute, and Meredith looking like a long-term project, Kiss must call on an experienced no.10 ahead of the Springbok and Bledisloe Tests.

Admittedly, Kiss is stuck between a rock and a hard place; he only has seven Tests left in 2026, two against the All Blacks, one against the Springboks, then a November Nations Championship series against Wales, Scotland, and England, as well as a fourth mystery opponent (but it will likely be either England or Scotland).

Kiss must balance getting results and fighting tooth and nail for the Bledisloe, with building depth and learning more about his team ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The Tests this year, as well as the ANZAC Day Bledisloe in 2027, are his only real tinker matches, before he must have his squad and game plan in place; after that, it must be about nailing the detail.

This brings Kiss to the men at the helm, the ones who will lead his team around the field and implement his plans; his halves, his no.9s and no.10s.

Kiss has a starting pair in Lonergan and Gordon locked in; he is a big fan of McDermott, but it’s evident the nippy no.9 is still finding his way back to his best form after his major injury in 2025.

The third halfback in the current squad, Kalani Thomas, gets his shot off the bench this weekend. He hasn’t been trusted to date by Schmidt or Kiss either.

Jake Gordon is there or thereabouts, but who else is on the field?

NSW Waratah Teddy Wilson looks poised to be a handy option, but that option must be explored up north in November after he has completed Super Rugby AUS.

At flyhalf, the options Kiss must call on are either Bernard Foley, James O’Connor, or Noah Lolesio.

These three are far more experienced than the current stock, but age is what counts against Foley and O’Connor.

Nevertheless, there is precedent for this.

In 2021, Rennie turned to Quade Cooper to be the saviour; that was the last time the Wallabies won five games in a row, beating South Africa in back-to-back games.

In 2022, Rennie turned to Foley, who led the Wallabies to within a whisker of claiming a Bledisloe match in Melbourne and a win over Ireland in Dublin.

In 2023, Eddie Jones turned to Cooper as well before discarding him for C. Gordon.

In 2025, Schmidt turned to O’Connor, in what can only be described as a rollercoaster of a relationship from those of us on the outside looking in.

O’Connor nonetheless helped the Wallabies to their historic thrashing of the Springboks at Ellis Park.

Now, in 2026, Kiss must turn to one or two of these three to add some experience, nous, and know-how into the playing stocks of the Wallabies.

Lolesio is the most capped of the flyhalves under 30, but he has sat out of the Test game for over a year.

The signing of 37-year-old Foley to the NSW Waratahs, and the recently announced signing of 36-year-old O’Connor to Perth-based Western Force, would’ve been a half measure by Rugby Australia and the franchises if they weren’t considered genuine Wallaby options.

O’Connor and Foley have both said they are back on Aussie shores to help bring the next generation through and pass on their knowledge, but make no mistake, these two are competitors; they will want to wear gold at the home Rugby World Cup in 2027.

“There’s a lot of good footy still left in me. I want to make the most of possibly my last year,” O’Connor told media in Perth on Wednesday.

“I feel like my strength is creating cohesion and refining systems to work better. Whether that’s finishing a game, reviewing opposition or working with the non-23 to make the starters as competitive as possible.”

“It is a bit of a full circle moment and [I’m] really grateful to get that opportunity to come back to the Waratahs, Foley said at the signing news press conference.

“I saw it as a great challenge that’s going to hopefully instil a bit of experience and knowledge on the young guys.”

Whether Kiss has both or either of them in the Wallabies camp ahead of the South Africa and Bledisloe Tests, their selection is a no-brainer.

Whether they should feature in the matchday 23 or just the wider squad, Kiss must find out whether they are compatible with the team, gameplan, and of course, himself as coach.

He must make these discoveries ASAP as opposed to deciding the two veterans’ value through Super Rugby in 2027.

The Springboks’ flyhalf Mannie Libbok has been playing Japan Division 2 rugby, and he has slotted seamlessly into the South African side, adding impact.

Foley has been commanding one of the best Japan Division 1 sides, and O’Connor had a stellar season with Leicester Tigers in the English Prem.

As for Lolesio, he won the Division 2 Japan league with his side, Aichi Shuttles; they thrashed Libbok’s Kintetsu Liners in the Division 2 final.

Whoever Kiss decides to call on, it is clear that Kiss cannot delay it any longer.

He has a flyhalf he doesn’t yet trust, and that won’t change with one great performance against Los Pumas this weekend, in Donaldson.

He has a rookie who is obviously talented but needs more time, perhaps with Australia A, in Meredith.

Finally, he has the clear frontrunner who is still getting their body right and who is struggling to string more than two games together, a trend which is unlikely to change ahead of November, in Gordon.

Foley and O’Connor are signed and delivered via the Waratahs and Force respectively, and Lolesio is but a phone call away.

There is nothing to be gained by delaying this call-up of Australia’s most experienced flyhalves, and there is nothing to be lost by having at least one of them in the environment.

Beauden Barrett, whilst not at his ultimate best, is still adding value to the All Blacks at 35yo.

Handre Pollard is evidently still the chief playmaker when things get tough for the Springboks at 32yo.

No one in Scotland even comes close to Finn Russell at age 33, and George Ford for England is also a mainstay at 33.

Come the Rugby World Cup in 2027, Barrett will be  36, Pollard 33, Ford 34, and Russell 35.

While only Russell is all but guaranteed a start at next year’s tournament, there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that the others, perhaps bar Barrett, will be part of the squads as they add irreplaceable experience, game knowledge, and a sense of calm for their teammates.

Australia has neither the raw talent nor experience to ignore all three of Lolesio, Foley, and O’Connor.

It’s not about who wears the no.10 jersey at the 2027 Rugby World Cup; that almost certainly will be Gordon should he stay fit and healthy.

It’s who makes that environment better every day, and who can challenge the players, and even Kiss, when the tough times inevitably arrive.

Schmidt has never liked to be challenged; Kiss seems a lot more the collaborative type, so perhaps some player-led influence will only boost his coaching mantra.

The Wallabies don’t need a world-class flyhalf to see success; their forwards have already proved over the last two years that they can be world-class and win games on their own.

What the flyhalf selection debate seeks to address is having a playmaking stock that knows how to get this pack into the right parts of the field and keep them there; player-to-player coaching can aid this goal.

The days of a Stephen Larkham-type player scything through lines and throwing the amazing cut-outs are gone; for now, the Wallabies playmakers must learn how to be the ultimate facilitators for the world-class athletes at their disposal.

Whether the playmakers in Mendoza play the house down or not, Kiss must make this call before the Wallabies tackle their next seven Tests, all but one of which will be against higher-ranked teams.