Carter Gordon is set to make his long-awaited return at fly-half for the Wallabies, headlining a heavily revised Australian XV tasked with securing a two-test series sweep against Japan in Townsville on Saturday. After overcoming a calf injury that sidelined him through the recent international window, the 25-year-old playmaker replaces the dropped Declan Meredith following an inconsistent outing in Osaka, according to Reuters.
New coach Les Kiss has rung the changes for the weekend fixture, introducing eight alterations to the starting lineup that ground out a narrow 35-32 victory in Osaka. Alongside Gordon in the halves, Ryan Lonergan steps in at scrum-half. Meanwhile, uncapped prop Massimo De Lutiis waits on the bench, primed to claim cap number 1,000 in the history of the Australian national team, as reported by Reuters.
For Gordon, Saturday’s test marks his first appearance in gold since the Nations Championship loss to Ireland in July. His reintegration follows a turbulent couple of seasons that included a brief code-hopping stint in the National Rugby League before returning to rugby union.
Personnel Shifts and Tactical Adjustments in the Pack
Lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto earns his first test appearance of the season, pairing up with Lachlan Shaw in a fresh-look second row. In the back row, Charlie Cale is slated for his maiden test start at blindside flanker, while Carlo Tizzano gets the nod on the openside ahead of Fraser McReight, who drops to the replacements bench.
Front-row stability receives a boost with the return of experienced props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou to the starting fifteen. Josh Nasser rounds out the front row at hooker. Behind them, Isaac Henry lines up for his first start at outside centre following his debut last week, stepping in as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii remains sidelined due to injury.
Milestone on the Horizon for De Lutiis
Attention will also focus on the reserves bench, where Massimo De Lutiis stands on the brink of a historic milestone. Should the young prop enter the match, he will officially become the 1,000th player capped for the Wallabies. He is joined on the bench by Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Aidan Ross, Jeremy Williams, Fraser McReight, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, and Filipo Daugunu.
The Wallabies enter the Townsville fixture aiming to close out the series cleanly after escaping Osaka with a three-point margin.
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