‘I learned a lot from Eddie’: Why returning Wallaby still has time for old coach Jones

21 hours ago 4

Carter Gordon has cited unfinished business as the motivation behind his return to rugby as Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said he was “more open-minded than undecided” about the team’s problematic five-eighth role.

After re-signing with RA and the Reds on Monday, Gordon joined the Wallabies squad at training in Sydney ahead of the five-Test spring tour, which begins next week with a clash against Japan in Tokyo.

Having played eight Tests for the Wallabies in 2023, Gordon switched to league in August last year, and said he felt more comfortable than he anticipated in his first full session back.

And that’s just as well, with Schmidt conceding that Gordon was a “pretty good chance” to play against Japan, given that the 24-year-old and Tane Edmed are the only two No.10s in the squad.

“Obviously, I [will] get those habits coming back. I probably wasn’t in rugby league long enough to fully break down those habits and build new ones. Getting back out there now feels a bit more at home,” Gordon said.

“I’m just taking it day by day at the moment. Obviously, I’ve got a lot to work on, a lot to learn over the next few days. I’ll keep learning off Joe and off Tane. If that chance comes, I’d be stoked to be able to do it again.”

Carter Gordon back at Wallabies training.

Gordon spent 16 months with the Gold Coast Titans but only managed one NRL game after suffering a spinal fluid leak that required surgery and a long recovery.

“It was a pretty tough year. Probably the toughest year I’ve ever been through in my career, physically and mentally,” he said.

The downtime allowed Gordon to re-assess his priorities, and with occasional check-in calls from Schmidt along the way, he jumped at the chance to return to rugby when it arose.

“Just having unfinished business in union,” Gordon said, when asked what motivated the switch. “I was 22 when I last played for the Wallabies at the World Cup and just had one season there. I felt like I left a bit on the table, and that was eating away at me a little bit.”

Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt talks to Andrew Kellaway.

In a strange twist, Gordon could return against a nation coached by Eddie Jones, the man who gave him his Wallabies debut and backed him, but who also dumped him at the 2023 World Cup.

“I actually learned a lot from Eddie,” Gordon said. “It was just a bit of a crazy year for everyone. He didn’t have much time with the squad, the squad didn’t have much time together. We were just thrown into there and expected to perform. I learned a lot about myself in that time.”

Gordon’s immediate return to the Wallabies squad – and as one of only two No.10s – has raised eyebrows about Schmidt’s ongoing lack of certainty about the five-eighth role.

Since Noah Lolesio got injured in July, he has cycled between Edmed, Tom Lynagh and James O’Connor. Ben Donaldson has either been on the fringes or left out altogether, and midfielder Hamish Stewart is even ahead of the 25-cap playmaker as a No.10 in the spring tour squad.

Asked if he was still undecided about the identity of his best five-eighth, Schmidt said: “More open-minded than undecided.

“We’re staying open-minded about a number of positions, and we do feel like this is the window where we can take a bit of a longer vision versus a short-term focus.”

“As much as we need to get those ranking points and be as competitive as we can be, if we don’t invest now, we’re not going to profit in two years time when that home World Cup is still a massive opportunity for us to really demonstrate what we can do in the game here in Australia.”

Schmidt said he is confident about Gordon’s readiness to step back in Test rugby. Donaldson will play No.10 for Australia A against a Japan XV tomorrow in Tokyo, and may join the Wallabies squad if needed, Schmidt said.

The Wallabies coach said he’d had discussions with Donaldson about what he wanted to see in his game, and indicated it was framed more around defence than attack.

“Hopefully, we see that on Saturday, and he’ll run the game well,” Schmidt said. “He’s got a long kicking game, he’s got a good passing game, he’s very good taking the ball to the line and playing in front of the opposition.

“It’s more around his ability to control the defensive line, particularly from the deep where he tends to play, and then being involved in that defensive side of the game, just as much as the attacking side.”