Australia captain Harry Wilson said on Saturday that he was “devastated” after fly-half Carter Gordon was ruled as the Wallabies face France in an Autumn Nations Series game on Sunday morning.
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MATCH CENTRE: Wallabies vs France score, teams, stats
Gordon was named by head coach Joe Schmidt on Thursday in the starting XV for the Test at the Stade de France, but less than 24 hours later he was forced to pull out after failing to recover from a thigh problem.
He has been replaced by Tane Edmed in the run-on team for the struggling Wallabies.
Hooker Billy Pollard has also been ruled out with Matt Faessler promoted to the starting line-up.
Gordon, 24, was in line for just his second Test appearance since playing three times for the Wallabies at the 2023 World Cup.
Since then he had briefly switched to rugby league before moving back to union last month.
He struggled with the thigh niggle during his first appearance back for Australia, in the 26-19 defeat to Italy earlier this month.
“He’s worked so hard since getting into this group and he just hasn’t been able to catch a break, which we all feel devastated for him,” Wilson told reporters.
“He had a really good week’s preparation and gave us a lot of confidence.
“I think there’s going to be plenty more opportunities of Carter Gordon playing in gold,” No.8 Wilson added.
Wallabies desperate to avoid 10th loss | 01:40
The Brumbies’ Edmed will make just his ninth Test appearance at the cauldron of a packed Stade de France.
His most recent international start came in the 25-7 defeat to England on November 1, which began the Wallabies’ disastrous European tour.
“Now it’s Tane’s turn to step up and lead us,” Wilson said.
“We’ve played a lot of footy with Tane this year, so it’s not as if it’s someone we haven’t played with.
“We are really familiar with him and we’re really excited to see him go there for our final game of the year,” the 25-year-old added.
Schmidt’s Australia are one defeat away from a first winless European tour since 1958 and a record 10th loss in a calendar year.
“It definitely has been challenging,” Wilson said.
“It hurts us so much and all we want is success in the gold jersey.”
An additional element to the fixture is the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw on December 3.
If the tournament hosts beat France by 16 points or more, then they will leapfrog Les Bleus into the top six seeds, claiming a more favourable set-up for the group stages and potential knock-outs.
“My parents called me this morning to say there was something about the seedings,” France captain Gregory Alldritt told reporters.
“I hadn’t even looked at it.
“We’ve worked hard this week and the past four weeks to win.
“We know, by winning, the seeding won’t be affected,” the No.8 added.
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