Prodigy Petaia back in Wallabies fold ahead of Cup tilt
Darren Walton |
Super talent Jordan Petaia has been selected in his first Wallabies squad since the 2023 Rugby World Cup as Les Kiss braces for the sternest test yet of his brief coaching reign.
A one-time teenage Test debutant, Petaia has been included in Australia’s 34-man group for the upcoming showdown with back-to-back world champions South Africa in Perth.
The 26-year-old has been plying his trade in France and Japan since the end of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, after seven seasons at the Queensland Reds.
Petaia made his Wallabies debut at just 19 at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, scoring a memorable try against Uruguay, and has since pulled on the gold jersey a total of 31 times.
With now just a year before Australia hosts the 2027 World Cup, Kiss says it’s time to see if Petaia is ready to make a run at a third appearance at the global showpiece.
“Look, we’ve got a lot of good back-three players here in the country. We made sure we looked at all of them,” Kiss said on Monday.
“It was just the ideal opportunity to see Jordan. He’s been out of the system for a couple of years now. He has played in two World Cups. We just wanted to touch base with him, him come and work out with us, see how he’s going.
“We haven’t selected that team yet, but it was just a good opportunity to see Jordan back in the environment and him to have a good look at us with the new coaching structure and all those sort of things.
“From the team perspective, there was a lot of deep discussion about where we would go with that.”
The classy utility back is one of three new faces in the squad that won back the Puma Trophy in an undefeated tour of Argentina earlier this month.
Another is Western Force recruit Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, who has been named in his first official Wallabies squad, replacing Carter Gordon who suffered a fractured fibula in Mendoza.
Born in Toowoomba and raised in Gunnedah, the 22-year-old flyhalf was part of Australias 2023 and 2024 World Rugby U20 Championships and has featured for the Reds on more than 35 occasions.
Queenslander Zane Nonggorr is back in the squad after completing a successful return to the field in Saturday’s 2026 Super Rugby AUS opener having picked up a minor calf strain in Japan.
He replaces Wallaby No.1000 Massimo De Lutiis, who is being managed after playing three straight Tests to kick off his international career.
Outside back Filipo Daugunu also managed due to a minor knee complaint.
“We’ve learned a bit more about ourselves as a group over the last four Tests and we know we still have a lot to work on to get to where we want to be,” Kiss said of the Springboks challenge in Perth on September 27.
“South Africa have been the benchmark team in World Rugby for a long time and we’re motivated by the challenge of meeting them in our own backyard in two weeks’ time.”
Wallabies:
Forwards – Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Charlie Cale, Josh Canham, Tom Hooper, Isaac Kailea, Fraser McReight, Josh Nasser, Zane Nonggorr, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Billy Pollard, Aidan Ross, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto,
Lachlan Shaw, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson (capt).
Backs: Jock Campbell, Ben Donaldson, Isaac Henry, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Ryan Lonergan, Tate McDermott, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Declan Meredith, Hunter Paisami, Jordan Petaia, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Kalani Thomas, Tom Wright.
AAP