If the Wallabies beat France in Brisbane on Saturday, debutant Declan Meredith should stroll across the road from Suncorp Stadium and order a celebratory beer at the Last Man Standing Brewery.
The pub next door is owned by Steven Bradbury, who won a famous gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics by literally being the last man standing when all his rivals crashed out in the dying stages of the short-track speed skating final.
There is a touch of that this week about Meredith after the Brumbies playmaker was catapulted into a Wallabies No.10 jersey following calf injuries to first- and second-choice five-eighths Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson.
At Australiaโs captainโs run on Friday, photographers were overheard asking a Rugby Australia staff member to point out Meredith so they could make sure they were photographing the right player. It is fair to say a sizeable portion of a sold-out Suncorp Stadium crowd will also be getting their first proper glimpse of the 27-year-old, just a week after Australiaโs 33-31 defeat to Ireland in Sydney.
The first Wallabies Test played after Bradburyโs gold medal entered Australian sporting folklore was a 29-17 victory over France in Melbourne, orchestrated by Stephen Larkham.
Larkham is not only Meredithโs coach at the Brumbies but arguably Australiaโs greatest No.10, putting him in a strong position to judge his playmakerโs prospects at Test level.
The pair have exchanged text messages this week, and Larkham is adamant Meredith is ready for the challenge and confident he can thrive if those around him do their jobs.
โHeโs looking forward to it. Heโs had a good build-up,โ Larkham said of Meredith, who made his debut for the Brumbies in 2023 after impressing in ACT club footy with Wests Lions. โNow he gets a chance just to show that heโs ready.
โHeโs got to make sure that he just moves onto the next job as quickly as possible, so that everyone around him gets on the same page. Heโs in that position where they are relying on him. Heโs been doing that all year [in Super Rugby for the Brumbies].
โAnytime you step into a new team, or that next level up, you need a bit of support around you, and heโs got some familiarity that Ryan [Lonergan] at nine is certainly going to help. Theyโve got a really good combination theyโve built through the last couple of seasons. Len [Ikitau] has been in and around Declanโs development as well as Wrighty [Tom Wright], who is at fullback.
โWhen you look at the way the Wallabies play and we [the Brumbies] play, the fullback has a big influence on the No.10. Having Wrighty around will help.
โHeโs well liked in the team and a character off the field. Heโs got X-factor that other players donโt have and genuine speed. He can also see space well.โ
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson believes Meredith and Lonergan were the form halves combination in Super Rugby, but acknowledged losing both Gordon and Donaldson on the eve of a Test against the worldโs No.4-ranked side was โnever idealโ. France arrive in Brisbane after a two-point defeat to the All Blacks in New Zealand.
โItโs obviously been a massive week for him,โ Wilson said on Friday. โItโs his first Test start at Suncorp Stadium, [as] a boy from Cairns playing in his home state. Itโs been really special for him, but heโs just been switched on. Heโs been leading the boys around the park. He seems very level-headed. We back him and we believe in him.โ
Australiaโs hopes of making an impact in the Nations Championship will take a significant hit if they cannot upset France. Since a four-point victory over Argentina in September, the Wallabies have lost eight of nine Tests under outgoing coach Joe Schmidt.
โWeโre definitely bothered [by recent result],โ Wilson said. โWe know we need to win. We had a few really good moments on the weekend [against Ireland], but ultimately those moments werenโt good enough to get the result, and we really have got to start icing them.โ
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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