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Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has dumped fly-half Carter Gordon for the must-win Rugby World Cup clash against Wales on Monday morning (AEST).
Key points:
- Carter Gordon was the only specialist 10 named in the Wallabies squad for the Rugby World Cup
- Ben Donaldson will play at fly-half, with Andrew Kellaway making his first start of the tournament at fullback
- Eddie Jones said the Wallabies will be ready to fight on Sunday night in the must-win clash against Wales
Gordon, the 22-year-old who was controversially the only specialist fly-half selected in the squad, is named on the bench, with Ben Donaldson starting a Test match in the number 10 role for just the second time in his career.
Andrew Kellaway comes in for his first start of the tournament at fullback, while Tate McDermott will captain the side after recovering from a concussion that ruled him out of last week's defeat to Fiji.
"I just feel we needed to probably freshen the team up," Jones said.
"Carter’s had an opportunity, struggled a bit against Fiji and I thought he was best to finish the game for us [against Wales].
"With young players you’ve got to have a feel of where they are. Sometimes you need to back them, sometimes you need to pull them away a little bit. At the moment we feel like it’s best to pull him away a little bit."
- Follow all the action as the Wallabies take on Wales from 4am AEST on Monday in our live blog
Jones has been under fire for his selections this week, particularly after leaving experienced Test fly-half Quade Cooper out of the squad.
That left the 22-year-old Rebels 10 Gordon as the only fly-half in the squad.
Former Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell called on Jones to "explain some of these decisions" around squad selection in the aftermath of the Wallabies defeat to Fiji.
"You've made some glaring decisions around Quade [Cooper], around Michael Hooper, six captains in seven weeks, like, f*****g explain some of these decisions to us," Mitchell said on The Good, The Bad and the Rugby Australia podcast.
"Because, as fans, we're all sitting here scratching our heads. And a lot of the time we can sit there and defend Eddie or the Wallabies because we can understand logic in some of these decisions, but there's none of it.
"Tell us as fans why have you not picked these guys? Because now we're seeing the result of you not picking some of these guys."
Jones defended himself as doing the right thing for Australian rugby.
"I think I am 100 per cent doing the right thing for Australian rugby and I apologise for the results," he said.
"I can get down on my knees and do the Japanese thing if you want me to. I can't apologise anymore guys, I am really sorry we haven't had better results. But what I know is what we are doing is right for Australian rugby.
"We are not trying to be a mediocre team. If we wanted to be a mediocre team there's other things we could have done.
'We want to be a really good team and to be a really good team, there's some pain and there's some failure involved in being a really good team.
"I don't think [selecting older players] is the future of Australian rugby. Those guys have been around, results over the last period of time haven't been at the level we need to be.
"Our results are even worse but sometimes you've got to do that to go forward. We need to create a new group of players that have high standards of training, high standards of behaviours, high standards of expectation. And that's what we are trying to do."
Jones has 'no doubt' Wallabies will beat Wales
Jones, who has lost all but one of his seven Tests in charge since re-taking the Wallabies job last year.
He was also forthright on how he wants Australia to be playing and that there was no magic formula to turning a losing team into a winning one.
"I've been very clear about the fact that I've been brought in to change Australian rugby," he said.
"The results haven't been good but I'm bringing through a young team that can be the basis of the team going forward.
"I've made no bones about that, I think I've explained that very clearly. We've needed to move players on.
"I don't try to make myself out as a saint, but sometimes you've got to take some hard decisions to get some results down the track.
"I've got no doubt we'll win on Sunday [against Wales].
"The way the team's prepared, the way they've come together, I've got no doubt we'll win on Sunday — but if we don't, then sometimes you've got to do the work that allows you to be successful down the track.
"I don't know of any team that you can come in and blow magic over.
"You've got to go through a process. You've got to find out what's wrong with the team and then you've got to try to address those problems.
"I sit here very comfortable feeling like I'm doing the job I should be doing. I know people are upset about it, I understand that and I would be too if I was a fan because the results aren't good enough, but sometimes there's some pain before you get some success.
"I've let Australian rugby down; I haven't done the job I was brought in to do. I was brought it turn it around so I feel that responsibility. Do I approach it differently? No. I just get the team well prepared, that's the only thing I can control."
Gordon receives support from teammates
Earlier in the week McDermott leaped to the defence of Gordon, who was withdrawn after just 51 minutes after an ineffective performance against Fiji.
"I just want to make it clear it wasn't just Carter who had a tough day," McDermott said earlier this week.
"There were definitely other people in the same boat. If we are losing that battle at the breakdown, it's a very tough day regardless.
"He's incredibly disappointed of course — the whole squad is because of that performance — but you've got to have a short memory, particularly given how important his preparation will be going into this game."
After Gordon was hooked early in the second half against Fiji having conceded four turnovers and misjudging the kick from which Fiji scored their only try of the match, pundits cautioned against placing the blame on the young playmaker.
"I feel for Carter Gordon right now," Former All Blacks back Sonny Bill Williams said on Stan Sport following the match against Fiji.
"He doesn't have a Quade Cooper or [Bernard] Foley to go back to the hotel and say 'bro, these things happen but you know you will be better'. It's really tough seeing him get pulled like that.
"But these selections, I'm going to call it how it is — we are in a high performance arena. And sometimes you live and die by your decisions and Eddie Jones got found out tonight unfortunately."
Williams said that he "would love to see Carter get another shot, just for the young man's confidence," and that to cast him aside would be "a tragedy".
"He's been there or thereabouts the whole time for the last six or seven weeks," Williams said.
"For him to be pulled out like that would be a tragedy."
After losing to Fiji last time out, the Wallabies must win this match against Wales to stay in contention for a quarterfinal berth.
"Every team has matches like this during a Rugby World Cup and for this young team it is this week," Jones said via a press release.
"We've prepared well, are focused on what we need to do, and we'll be ready to fight on Sunday night."
There are no changes to the tight five, with Rob Leota coming into the side to start his first Test of the year at blindside flanker to partner Tom Hooper and Rob Valetini in the back row.
The Wallabies will still be without captain Will Skelton and prop Taniela Tupou, who both suffered injuries in training before the Fiji defeat and have not recovered in time.
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