‘Class is class’: Why Wallabies great believes in Gordon’s comeback bid

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“Class is class, that’s why they’re taking him on the Spring Tour.”

That was the declaration of former Wallabies five-eighth Berrick Barnes, who believed that while “time will tell” if Carter Gordon could propel Australia to 2027 Rugby World Cup glory, he could make his shift back from the NRL swiftly.

Barnes, now a backs coach with Japan’s Saitama Wild Knights, worked closely with Gordon during the 2023 showcase under Eddie Jones as a kicking mentor, and saw up close the class he possessed.

Carter Gordon was immediately brought back into the Wallabies fold after his stint in the NRL.

While that campaign marked the first time the Wallabies failed to make it out of the Cup’s group stages, Barnes believed those lessons could prove the foundation for the 24-year-old to make a comeback in the nation’s No.10 jumper.

Gordon – after a year spent in rugby league with the Gold Coast Titans, managing just one game after suffering a serious neck injury – will come into selection calculation in Europe, but is unlikely to feature against the Jones-led Japan on Saturday.

Barnes, who was part of the Wallabies squad to finish third at the 2011 World Cup, stressed while it may take time for Gordon to find his feet, the change would not be as big an adjustment as he found it as a player when he moved from the Brisbane Broncos to the Queensland Reds.

“He showed really good touches in his first couple of Tests, but when you get your chance at 10, teams work you out pretty quickly,” Barnes said as the Wild Knights prepare to face the Reds at Ballymore.

“You’ve got to be able to adapt, and he hasn’t had much time or opportunity to do that, so he’ll get another opportunity at that spot I’m sure, and then it’s what he does with it.

“It takes time, massively, and it will take him a good few games to get that under his belt again. But the good thing for him is he was a rugby player through and through, and then he went to league.

“Someone like myself, I grew up playing mostly league, so rugby was a tougher switch for me. He’s coming back to a game he knows well, and he’s incredibly talented – if you’ve seen him play golf and a bunch of other sports, he’s gifted in that sense.

“But he also works hard, and with this new lease on life after looking at your career that could potentially be done and realising you’ve got another good 10 years ahead of you is exciting.”

Gordon’s ascent to the Wallabies’ jersey may be a formality for the looming tour, but his arrival at the Reds will keep him on his toes once Tom Lynagh recovers from a hamstring issue.

Lynagh, who featured in the British and Irish Lions series as the first-choice five-eighth, will not travel with the Test squad, but the pair will join forces with youngsters Harry McLaughlin-Phillips and Finn Mackay to compete for Queensland’s chief play-making duties.

Mackay, still just 18 and yet to make his Super Rugby debut, set up four tries in Toowoomba as the Reds beat the Wild Knights 59-19.

“At the end of the day, you want competition across spots because it pushes you,” Barnes said.

“Young Finn Mackay, on the weekend that’s as good a young 10 performance as I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. The decisions he made, and he’s your fourth-string 10? Jeez, you’ve got some riches there.

“It bodes well for a good 2026 campaign if they can keep everyone fit.”

As the Wallabies prepare to face Jones for the first time since his Wallabies exit, Barnes felt his coaching education took an enormous leap under the controversial helmsman.

Now with the Wild Knights, where he coaches a backline featuring 59-Test Wallaby Marika Koroibete, he felt he was ready to take on greater duties in his off-the-field role.

“It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I know it didn’t go to plan, and I know there’s been a lot of criticism, but as a young coach getting the opportunity to work with Eddie in that environment was fantastic,” Barnes said.

The Reds and Wild Knights will kick off at 1.30pm on Saturday, with the Wallabies and Japan clash to be viewed on a big screen at Ballymore afterwards.

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