Sam BruceMar 20, 2026, 09:51 AM

CloseSam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage.

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Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has assessed Australia’s fly-half cohort through the opening month of Super Rugby Pacific, highlighting the early form of Brumbies playmaker Declan Meredith and individual plays of Reds No. 10 Carter Gordon.

The Brumbies and Reds have three wins apiece approaching Round 6 this weekend, though both Aussie teams face tough examinations of their title credentials with ACT welcoming the Chiefs to Canberra, and the Reds in Lautoka for a clash with the resurgent Drua.

Meredith came off the bench for the Brumbies in their loss in Fiji last week and immediately made an impact alongside skipper Ryan Lonergan, and the halves duo has now been restored to the starting side for Friday night’s clash with Damian McKenzie, Luke Jacobson and a host of other All Blacks.

If Meredith can guide his side to victory at GIO Stadium, his claims to a maiden Wallabies call-up will only further increase, with Schmidt liking the way he has taken control of the Brumbies so far this season.

“Declan is a mature player, he’s 26, and he’s played fullback and wing, so he’s got enough high speed,” Schmidt told Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven. “I don’t know if you saw early in the season, he went through a loose forward and a hooker to score a try under the [posts], in their first game of the season. He’s not afraid of the contact area, he’s brave defensively, and he’s pretty competent going up for the ball in a contest.

“Having watched him at Brumbies training, he also is quite commanding in the way that he runs the team, in that others are looking for direction. If you’ve got your 10, decisive, can see the space, understands the game, [that’s great]. And I think Declan’s done a longer apprenticeship than most coming into Super Rugby, some of the other guys, they come in very young and it’s hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes at 10, with that step up and pressure. And when you get to Test level, that wood’s a lot thicker.

“And having had those experiences [multiple years at the Brumbies] and built on them, I think it just allows him to see more, and stay calmer, and be more decisive.”

Adding to Meredith’s claims is the fact he has been in the No. 10 shirt for two of the Brumbies’ finest wins in recent memory. The Queensland-raised playmaker helped the Brumbies end an 11-year drought over the Blues last year, before they then ended a 26-year wait for a win over the Crusaders in Christchurch with a 50-24 thrashing of the defending champions.

Declan Meredith [R] has been in strong for the Brumbies through the opening weeks of Super Rugby Pita Simpson/Getty Images

Gordon meanwhile scored the match-stealing try for the Reds in Canberra a fortnight ago, before notching a late double, including a 60-metre solo effort, that helped Queensland see off the Waratahs last week.

And he has built into the season nicely, the 25-year-old finally free of the niggles that saw him feature only once on the Wallabies’ spring tour following his switch back from rugby league.

“He individually has been pivotal in a couple of those wins they’ve had,” Schmidt said of Gordon. “He got the try against the Brumbies that tipped the balance; he scored the try against the Waratahs that got them the buffer of eight points so that they were clear toward the end, and he did both with good footwork and acceleration. He’s hitting some good speeds.

“I think one of the frustrations around the spring tour, he was injured, he couldn’t kick at goal, he couldn’t kick for the line when we did play him against Italy. And even in the French Test, he was set to be named and then the last kick of that last training, he pulled up sore again.

“Now that he’s got through that I’m excited to see where he can get to. Tom Lynagh is back there though, and he’s almost back to full training, so there’ll be good competition there.”

Schmidt also said he had liked what he had seen from Western Force five-eighth Ben Donalson, who didn’t return to the Wallabies fold in 2026 after he departed South Africa with a leg injury before the Rugby Championship had begun.

“Ben Donaldson has been going well for the Force as well, so that’s what we want,” Schmidt added. “And I think Tane [Edmed] will push up under Declan a bit as well, once he gets the rhythm of the way the Brumbies play; Declan’s been there for quite some time, so it’s natural for him.”

Schmidt also for the first time hinted he will make himself available for the Wallabies once he hands over to incoming coach Les Kiss, but only after he has given the Queenslander a chance to stamp himself on the national squad.

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