Wallabies captain backs debutant after double fly-half injury blow

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson admits that while it is never ideal to lose two of three fly-halves in one week due to injury, the team is backing debutant Declan Meredith to step up against Six Nations champions France.

Meredith skyrocketed into the Wallabies selection frame on the back of a breakout season with the ACT Brumbies, starting in 14 of 15 appearances during the 2026 season. The 27-year-old was initially named as one of three uncapped 10’s in the squad for the July Nations Championship.

Carter Gordon got first crack at the starting role against Ireland last weekend, with Ben Donaldson coming off the bench. But those two have both been ruled out of the Wallabies’ second Test of the year on home soil.

Meredith has been brought straight into the run-on side, while Queensland Reds fullback Jock Campbell will provide cover off the pine. These two are set to join seven others in the lengthy list of Wallabies who have played minutes at fly-half over the last 12 months.

“It’s never ideal to lose two of your three 10s in one week,” Wilson told reporters in Brisbane.

“For us, we knew at the start of the week that Carter was no good so it gave Declan a full week to prepare and know that he’s playing, and he’s been really good.

“None of us really knew Declan before he came in here and he’s been a really good, loud voice and he’s really grabbed it this week and I’m really excited for him.”

Campbell shifts to the bench after making a try-scoring return to the Test arena last Saturday, ending a more than 1,300 day wait to represent the Wallabies again. But with Tom Wright coming into the First XV, Campbell will instead wear the No. 22 jumper.

The outside back started on the wing seven times as a Super Rugby rookie in 2019 and played a fair amount of rugby in that role over the next few seasons. Regular opportunities at fullback eventually came but never has Campbell started for the Queensland Reds at fly-half.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Jock… even when he plays 15, he steps into 10 quite a lot and he’s quite a loud voice,” Wilson explained.

“Obviously he’s played a lot of 15 over his whole career but jumped into 10 and he’s done quite a good job there, finishing the sessions there.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of confidence in Declan too. Even if Jock does get called in there… he’s done the work at training and he’s played a few games for the Reds there off the bench too.”

This clash between the Wallabies and Les Bleus will be a bit of a homecoming for a few players wearing navy blue, with two Australian-born players in the lineup. Emmanuel Meafou was born in Auckland but grew up in Queensland, attending Ipswich Grammar School.

Thomas Staniforth has been selected on the bench after debuting for France against the All Blacks. The second rower formerly played for the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies but now is now a matchday regular for Top 14 side Castres.

Moses Alo-Emile attended Brisbane State High and was selected to play alongside Wilson for the Queensland Schoolboys a decade ago. Those two haven’t crossed paths since, but Wilson is expecting the loosehead to be “a handful” for the Wallabies.

“I played Queensland Schoolboys with Moses Elo-Emille and haven’t seen him since then. It’ll be pretty cool to go up against him again. He’s a big boy and he’s been plying his trade in France now for a long time in the front row,” he added.

“Emmanuel Meafou, a Brothers boy, we versed him last year and gee whiz he’s a presence on the field. It’s the first time he’s playing a Test match in his home Stadium here in Brisbane, Australia.

‘They’re going to be a handful but gee whiz, the rest of the team will be a handful too so we’re going to be fired up and ready.”