Why Fly-half Carter Gordon Is In Line For A Remarkable Wallabies Recall Less Than A WEEK After Quitting The NRL

Less than a week after abruptly leaving the NRLcode-hopping Carter Gordon insists he is ready if thrown into the Wallabies‘ Test side for the spring tour opener against Japan.

With Gordon and Tane Edmed the only two No.10s included in coach Joe Schmidt‘s 34-man squad, the ex-Gold Coast Titans star will almost certainly feature against Eddie Jones‘ Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo on October 25.

‘If that chance comes, then I’d be stoked to be able to do it again,’ 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.

‘I’ll keep learning off Joe and Tane and we’ll just take it day by day.’

After joining Leicester in the English premiership, veteran James O’Connor will likely link up with the Wallabies upon their arrival in Europe for Tests against England, ItalyIreland and France.

But Gordon and Edmed will be Schmidt’s go-to five-eighths to face Japan.

Ironically, it was Jones who handed Gordon his Test debut two years ago and thrust the young playmaker into the playmaking hot seat in the ill-fated 2023 World Cup campaign in France.

Now the 24-year-old former Melbourne Rebels star will likely be charged with plotting Japan’s downfall as a second-half replacement in the Wallabies’ tour opener.

‘What struck me about him (when he was playing for the Rebels) is he’s certainly brave enough,’ Schmidt said.

‘He’s not going to hold back and he’s going to throw himself straight in there.

‘There’s a pretty good chance that he may be involved (against Japan).

‘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, massive opportunity for us to really demonstrate what we can do in the game here in Australia.’

Gordon admitted it was that 2027 World Cup in Australia and ‘unfinished business in union’ that prompted his return to the sport after just one injury-ravaged season with the Titans.

‘I was 22 when I last played for the Wallabies and at the World Cup,’ said the man who has played eight Tests.

‘I felt like I left a bit on the table and that was eating away at me a little bit.

‘So the opportunity to come back came up and, yeah, I’m very excited to be able to take it and get back on board.’

The Wallabies head overseas ranked as world No.7. They need to climb into the top six by the end of the tour to secure an all-important top-tier seeding for the 2027 World Cup.

If they don’t, the Australians will not be a top-seeded side in their pool at the global showpiece and at risk of facing one of the heavyweights like two-time defending champions South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland or France early in the knockout stages.

Schmidt is acutely aware of the importance of racking up as many wins as possible on the five-Test, five-week tour.

‘It is certainly in the back of my mind,’ he said.

‘It’s a tough (rankings) algorithm to work out. All I know is that if you’re playing away from home and you beat a team that’s ranked ahead of you, that’s a good way to improve your ranking.

‘That said, we’re playing two teams that are ranked below us and that’s a good way to lose ranking points.

‘So we’ve got to be good against Japan and we’ve got to be good against Italy.’

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Why fly-half Carter Gordon is in line for a remarkable Wallabies recall less than A WEEK after quitting the NRL