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Jake Gordon positive about Wallabies’ new-look halves combo with Lolesio
By Finn Morton
After a sensational return to the Test arena in the Wallabies’ drought-breaking 25-16 win over Wales, halfback Jake Gordon has expressed a desire to continue working with flyhalf Noah Lolesio in their new-look halves combination.
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Gordon hadn’t played at the highest level since facing the Welsh in Cardiff back in November 2022, so he was a somewhat surprising selection in Australia’s first team of 2024. Incumbent No. 9 Tate McDermott was named on the bench while Nic White was left out altogether.
But the NSW Waratahs skipper made sure to repay the faith shown in him by coach Joe Schmidt and the selectors with a masterful performance. Towards the end of Saturday’s thrilling clash at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, Gordon was named Player of the Match.
It was an accolade that could’ve gone to multiple players in Wallaby gold, with the likes of Rob Valetini, Tom Wright and captain Liam Wright also impressing. Wales’ Aaron Wainwright was probably the pick of the visiting side in his 50th international cap.
Following the Wallabies’ first win over a Tier One opponent since that famous comeback win at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, which was more than 590 days ago, the Aussies appear to be tracking in the right direction under coach Schmidt.
“It was special. It’s been a challenging 12 months and obviously haven’t had too many wins this year, so it was a great feeling,” Gordon told reporters on Monday.
“I was also happy for everyone in the group. I think we had seven debutants and individually to be able to play and start a game like that at home is pretty special.
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“We’ve got a really exciting 12 months ahead of us. It feels pretty good.”
But days after the unforgettable roar of victory from the Sydney faithful, and the Wallabies’ recovery session in Coogee on Sunday morning, the focus has already shifted to another Test week. Australia will take on Wales in the second Test of their two-game series on Saturday.
Melbourne’s AAMI Park will host the intriguing clash between the two traditional rivals, with the visitors still searching for their first win of the year following a winless run in the Six Nations and a defeat to South Africa at Twickenham last month.
The Wallabies’ team won’t be announced for another couple of days yet, but Gordon is hoping to line up alongside Lolesio again after impressing last time out. But as the halfback acknowledged, that decision is “out of my control.”
“We had a pretty short run into the first game and I think the expectation was that it was never going to be perfect,” Gordon said.
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“Rugby’s never perfect but I thought for the majority we played at the right ends of the field, our distribution was strong. I’ve enjoyed playing with Noah and I thought he was strong.
“The one thing with Joe, he doesn’t give too much away. The first week, he had us picking our own teams at one point.
“I’d love to play again and play with Noah, but that’s out of my control and I’m not too sure what he’s going to do there.”
