The global rugby schedule has concluded for the Wallabies, and assessments are well underway, examining numerous facets of their performance.
Remarkably, Joe Schmidt utilized 48 players in 2025, mirroring the total from the previous year. However, the number of debutants differed, with only five this year compared to the unprecedented 19 awarded in 2024.
To provide context, Eddie Jones employed 41 players across nine Tests in 2023 (including eight debutants), while Dave Rennie called upon 51 players during 14 Tests in his final season of 2022 (featuring 13 debutants).
Australian coaches in recent times have consistently expressed concern about the Wallabies’ limited depth, actively seeking to address this issue. This explains the 45 debutants introduced over the past four seasons.
It’s worth highlighting that of these 45 debutants, 29 have accumulated fewer than 10 Test appearances (17 have five or fewer), and only 23 remain active Wallabies. Another nine are still engaged in Australian rugby, but among them, only Ben Donaldson (19) has participated in more than eight Tests.
Therefore, there’s been a clear inclination among Wallabies coaches to provide opportunities to new players.
In contrast, the situation surrounding the Ireland team is increasingly recognized, where, barring occasional injuries and the retirement of a few long-serving players, team selections for the November Tests closely resemble those from three or four seasons prior.
Bernard Jackman, the former Test hooker and respected commentator, expressed his genuine apprehension regarding the depth of talent in Irish rugby in the Irish Independent over the weekend. Should key positions be affected by injury during the Six Nations, there’s growing disquiet about a sudden lack of alternatives beyond the primary squad.
Fly-halves since the Larkham days have been simultaneously lambasted as ‘not being Test quality’ and then scapegoated as the reason for a particular loss. It’s been an endless cycle for two decades.
A scarcity of opportunities in recent seasons has resulted in a concerningly shallow Irish talent pool.
Opportunity has never been a scarcity in Australian rugby. Instead, the challenge has been consistently supporting players given those numerous chances to cultivate the experience necessary to evolve into legitimate Test players.
Perhaps, the No.10 jersey offers the most compelling illustration of this for the Wallabies. Fly-halves, since the Larkham era, have simultaneously faced criticism for “not being Test quality” and then been unfairly blamed for specific defeats. This pattern has persisted for two decades.
In the last four seasons, Australia has introduced four new potential No.10s: Donaldson, Carter Gordon, Tom Lynagh and Tane Edmed. Donaldson has played 19 Tests to date; the other three all have fewer than 10 caps.
Interestingly, Gordon has started more Tests at No.10 (six of nine caps) than Donaldson (five starts). Edmed has started five of his nine Tests, and Lynagh four of his seven. All four will undoubtedly have the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil in their sights, but how many genuinely believe they can make it?
Another noteworthy detail highlighting this issue: Donaldson, Lynagh, and Edmed have all been unused substitutes on Joe Schmidt’s bench at some point over the past two seasons.
This isn’t a recent trend for the Wallabies. If we look back to 2016, roughly two Rugby World Cup cycles ago, we’re encompassing two generations of players.
Matt Alvarez, Australia’s esteemed statistician and historian, generously compiled data for this analysis, and the findings are concerning regarding the constant flux at No.10.
Herein lies the issue. All of them have been backed to be the man to steer the Wallabies around until they suddenly haven’t.
From 2016 to the conclusion of the 2025 international season, the Wallabies have fielded 12 different players as starting fly-half. Yet, only Bernard Foley (39) and Noah Lolesio (25) have secured more than 20 starts. Quade Cooper initiated play 13 times, and James O’Connor now has 11 starts, having earned four more in 2025.
Gordon leads the remaining eight players with his six starts.
Herein lies the core issue. Each of these players has been entrusted to lead the Wallabies, only to have that trust withdrawn abruptly.
Foley, renowned as the “ice man” during the 2015 RWC campaign, started 16 consecutive Tests at fly-half from 2016 to 2017 before missing one. He then strung together eight more Tests spanning 2017 and into the 2018 Rugby Championship.
However, with one year remaining before the 2019 RWC, selection uncertainty emerged. Kurtley Beale was suddenly selected at 10. Foley then played three more Tests, before Matt To’omua concluded the final two November Tests. Foley started the first Test of 2019, followed by Christian Leali’ifano in the subsequent three.
Foley played the pre-RWC warm-up match against Samoa, but come the RWC, Leali’ifano started the first pool game against Fiji. The final four Tests, culminating in Australia’s loss to England in the quarter-final, featured changes in each game. Foley returned, then Leali’ifano, then To’omua had another opportunity before Leali’ifano played the knockout match.
Leali’ifano concluded his international career playing for Samoa. To’omua retired after the 2024 season in Japan, having played more than 50 Tests but only starting three at No.10. Foley and Beale, both still playing at 36, are reportedly still in contention for Wallabies selection, according to some commentators.
Since Foley’s run of 24 starts in 25 Tests from 2016 to 2018, Australian fly-halves have rarely enjoyed extended periods leading the attack at No.10.
Lolesio might be the prime example. He started the first six Tests of 2021 under Rennie before being replaced by the recalled Cooper. He appeared to be Schmidt’s preferred player, starting 11 of 13 Tests last season and then the first Test of 2025, only to suffer a serious neck injury in the Lions Series warm-up against Fiji in Newcastle.
He has started 25 of his 30 Tests to date but has been recalled to the No.10 jersey no less than seven times.
Can Kiss nail down Australia’s next long-term No.10? Given he’ll have to juggle two ‘current’ Wallabies fly-halves at Queensland next season, it will be a remarkable achievement if he can.
From 2016 until now, the door simply hasn’t stopped rotating. Following Foley, Lolesio, Cooper, and O’Connor, comes Gordon (6 starts), Leali’ifano (6), Donaldson (5), Edmed (5), Lynagh (5), Beale (3), To’omua (3), and Reece Hodge (3).
Then there are the likes of Jono Lance, Sam Greene, Jake McIntyre, Bryce Hegarty, Ben Lucas, Mack Mason, Jack Debreczeni, and Will Harrison, who all emerged and faded below them in Super Rugby.
Perhaps this will be Les Kiss’s lasting legacy? Can he solidify Australia’s next long-term No.10? Considering he’ll have to manage two current Wallabies fly-halves at Queensland next season, achieving this would be a notable feat.
Of course, certain positions have been better served. The back-row resources are currently strong, there’s an abundance of wing and full-back options, and at scrum-half, I fully anticipate New South Wales’ Teddy Wilson joining the Jake Gordan-Tate McDermott-Ryan Lonergan triumvirate soon.
Lock and hooker are improving, but both positions have experienced similar selection inconsistencies as fly-half.
Over the same 2016-2025 period, only Folau Fainga’a has started more than 20 Tests at hooker, and he could add to that in 2026 now that he has returned to Australia via Dan McKellar’s re-formed Brumbies band at the Waratahs.
Looking at the players behind him, it becomes evident how many hookers the Wallabies have utilized over the years. Dave Porecki started 19 of his 22 Tests before being forced into retirement this season. Stephen Moore started 18 Tests in this period, Brandon Paenga-Amosa has 18 starts across two stints, Tatafu Polota-Nau had 14 starts, Matt Faessler 13 of his 18 Tests, and Tolu Latu had 10 starts, too. Then it’s Billy Pollard (nine of 20) and Josh Nasser (two of 11), while Jordan Uelese and Lachie Lonergan have one start each.
The constant state of change has definitely worked against them at times this season, particularly on this most recent European tour, where at least 10 changes were made to the match-day squad every week.
Hooker, like scrum-half, is a specialized position and will naturally involve more players. However, considering the substantial number of appearances made by Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou at prop during the same period, not to mention Allan Ala’alatoa and James Slipper, having 12 hookers with no more than 21 starts suggests a lack of strategic consistency.
The same could be argued for lock, where, of the 18 players used over the last decade, only Adam Coleman (32), Nick Frost (32), and Izaak Rodda (31 starts in 33 Tests) have started more than 30 Tests. At the lower end of the list are nine players with fewer than 10 starts, ranging from Darcy Swain and Tom Hooper (who has primarily played back-row) to Sam Carter, Jed Holloway, and Blake Enever.
Importantly, between the two extremes lies a group of players who could readily form the Wallabies’ second-row core alongside Frost: Will Skelton, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Jeremy Williams, and even Matt Philip all have around 30 Tests to their names and are now well-prepared for international rugby.
The eagerness to experiment with new players has always been present in Australia, and the 1000th Wallaby will most likely be capped in 2026.
However, the constant state of flux has undeniably hindered their progress at times this season, particularly during the recent European tour, where at least 10 changes were implemented in the match-day squad each week. It’s not surprising that they appeared disoriented on occasion.
Cohesion will be paramount if the Wallabies intend to achieve any success in 2027. To foster these combinations and solidify them, Kiss will need to deviate significantly from the approach of his longtime colleague, Schmidt.
Bench utilization is certainly one aspect, but selection is another.
While Schmidt was comfortable with experimentation, Kiss will need to select and stick with players more consistently to cultivate team synergy and, crucially, avoid repeating past errors.
