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Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans dismissed suggestions Australia had failed in its development of five-eighths by congesting the talent, believing a looming Queensland logjam will foster the nation’s next long-term No.10.
Deans, now the director of rugby at Saitama Wild Knights, watched 18-year-old Queenslander Finn Mackay lay on four tries last month in the Reds’ 59-19 triumph over the Japanese club, adding his name to the club’s list of chief playmakers.
“He’s a very young man, but if you’re good, you’re good,” Deans said.
Queensland Reds rookie five-eighth Finn Mackay.Credit: Reds Media
“They’ll manage his physical entry, and the good thing is he’s going into an established group, which makes a big difference.”
As the Wallabies struggle to lock down a successor for Noah Lolesio following the Gold Coast product’s defection to Japanese rugby, Reds coach Les Kiss will face a similar dilemma come the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
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Mackay will vie with Carter Gordon, Tom Lynagh, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips and Fiji veteran Ben Volavola for game time, presenting little opportunity for the rookie to be thrown into the furnace.
However, Kiss has backed the teenager – signed on a development deal – to thrive if called upon, having shown he was “unafraid to bring his voice” surrounded by more senior men.
“He’s a wise head on young shoulders. What happens next year we don’t know, but that competition is vital,” Kiss, who will take the Wallabies’ reins mid-next year, said of Mackay.
“If we do hit a bit of doom in that area with some areas [through injuries], we know we’ve got guys who are that deep, which is really pleasing.”
Gordon is one of three five-eighths used on Australia’s winless Spring Tour ahead of Saturday’s clash with France, Tane Edmed and James O’Connor also used in comprehensive defeats to England, Italy and Ireland. Another loss would mark the first time the Wallabies have lost 10 Tests in a year.
Lynagh was the preferred No.10 for the 2-1 series defeat to the British and Irish Lions, while Ben Donaldson has been tried sparingly.
Australia will need several 10s genuinely competing for the top job ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but Deans believed the internal Reds battle would prove a blessing.
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Deans coached the Wallabies against the All Blacks in the 2011 World Cup semi-finals when injuries forced New Zealand to use four five-eighths en route to the trophy – Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden, Stephen Donald and Colin Slade.
The 66-year-old was adamant Australia had not dropped the ball by congesting talent into one club, but rather strengthened their chances of rising to the international stage.
“It’s perfect, one generation helps the next. They lift each other, that competition drives each other to another level, and that’s exactly what you want,” Deans said.
“When there’s a queue, you tend to get a shift because people know there’s someone in line behind them.
“If they don’t do the things that are required, then they’ll be moved sideways ... and I think that’s where Australian rugby is sitting. You can see some 10s coming on, and it’s been a while since we’ve had that.”
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