Edmed and Meredith both targeting Wallabies recall ahead of Brumbies' Hurricanes final

Tane Edmed has acknowledged a difficult debut season at the Brumbies but insists he remains firmly in contention for a Wallabies recall, with a Super Rugby Pacific qualifying final against the table-topping Hurricanes on Friday offering him a timely stage. Edmed arrived in Canberra off the back of featuring as one of Joe Schmidt’s Test fly-halves in 2025, yet has spent the majority of the campaign coming off the bench behind incumbent No.10 Declan Meredith.

“It’s definitely been a little bit frustrating around my minutes and opportunities, but I’m just trying to execute my role as well as I can for the team,” Edmed told AAP. “It’s been a little bit of a mixed bag, but it’s always a challenge, and it’s uncomfortable, but that’s where you want to be as a player.”

Edmed has held conversations with Schmidt throughout the season and believes the experience of performing under pressure in short bursts has sharpened his game. “In finals, the pressure comes on, so those experiences, and those stints that I have off the bench are going to help,” he said. “If I get the opportunity to be in the Wallabies squad again, I feel like I’ll be much more equipped than I was before to handle those situations.”

Meredith, 26, has not been immune to the weight of Wallabies speculation either. Schmidt publicly praised his control and decision-making in March, but the attention appeared to take a mental toll on the fly-half mid-season. A 45-12 thumping by the Hurricanes during Super Round — in which Meredith’s kicking was notably poor — represented what he himself described as a “low point”.

However, Meredith believes he has worked through that difficult patch and is ready to help the Brumbies end a 12-year wait for Super Rugby Pacific finals success when the two sides meet again on Friday. The do-or-die nature of the qualifying final adds an extra layer of significance for both players, with Australia’s Test season opening next month and Schmidt expected to name his squad shortly after.

For Edmed, the broader arc of the past two years captures the volatility of life as a professional fly-half. “It’s been a pretty roller-coaster few years for myself,” he said. “Last year, I was in and out of the Waratahs team, and then found myself in the Wallabies, and this year probably hasn’t gone exactly how I wanted.” Despite that, he is clear-eyed about what Friday represents — and what it could unlock.