Wednesday 14 October 2026
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Australia

Wallabies bench Angus Bell for Bledisloe rematch as Carter Gordon faces fitness test

Selection hints at Nations Championship planning while Wallabies chase an end to 12-match losing streak

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
Wallabies coach Les Kiss has moved star prop Angus Bell to the bench for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup rematch with the All Blacks in a bid to avoid a second-half fade-out, while first-choice playmaker Carter Gordon faces a fitness test that will shape next month's Nations Championship campaign.

Wallabies coach Les Kiss has shifted star prop Angus Bell to the bench for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup rematch against the All Blacks, in a move designed to prevent a second-half slide. There is no place in the squad for halfback Tate McDermott.

The selections come as first-choice playmaker Carter Gordon prepares for a fitness test in the next 48 hours to determine whether he will be available for the Nations Championship campaign next month. The 25-year-old fractured his fibula in the Wallabies' 28-all draw with Argentina last month, an injury expected to keep him out for up to two months.

If Gordon is declared fit, he is expected to be one of three playmakers in Kiss's squad for the campaign. Uncapped Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, currently in the squad to face the All Blacks, would then join Australia A for a two-match tour of the United States. The Australia A squad, featuring former Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt as an assistant to head coach Stephen Larkham, gathered in Sydney on Wednesday and will fly to the US this weekend.

Some of Saturday's selections are already being viewed as part of the bigger picture, despite the Wallabies' focus on snapping their 12-match losing streak against the All Blacks.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • Saturday's Bledisloe Cup result will shape confidence ahead of the Nations Championship campaign next month, with the Wallabies carrying a 12-match losing streak against New Zealand into the rematch.
  • Carter Gordon's fitness test in the next 48 hours decides whether Australia fields three playmakers in the November campaign or sends uncapped Harry McLaughlin-Phillips to the United States with Australia A.
  • The decision to bench Angus Bell signals the coaching staff is managing minutes and second-half impact, not simply picking the strongest starting XV.

Background

The Bledisloe Cup is contested annually between Australia and New Zealand as part of the southern hemisphere rugby calendar, and has long been one of the sport's fiercest rivalries. The Nations Championship is the new annual international competition introduced by World Rugby from 2026, replacing the traditional end-of-year tour structure. Australia A tours have become a standard pathway for developing players on the edge of Test selection.

Key Perspectives

Wallabies coaching staff: The bench reshuffle aims to keep intensity through the full 80 minutes, while injured and uncapped players are managed with an eye to the longer campaign rather than a single fixture.

Carter Gordon and the playmaking group: A fit Gordon would anchor the attack as first-choice playmaker, with his expected two-month recovery window from the fibula fracture making this week's fitness test the pivotal moment.

Selection outsiders: Uncapped players such as Harry McLaughlin-Phillips face an indirect route to the Test team, with a two-match Australia A tour of the USA the fallback if Gordon proves his fitness.

Critics and skeptics: Balancing the short-term goal of beating the All Blacks with longer-term campaign planning carries risk, and a bench reshuffle will be judged harshly if the Wallabies fade again or the selections disrupt combinations.

What to Watch

  • The outcome of Carter Gordon's fitness test over the next 48 hours.
  • Saturday's Bledisloe Cup rematch, and whether the new bench structure prevents another late collapse against the All Blacks.
  • The composition of Kiss's Nations Championship squad, particularly whether it includes three playmakers or releases McLaughlin-Phillips to Australia A.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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