Injury forces Wallabies fly-half change as uncapped McLaughlin-Phillips set for debut against All Blacks

Harry McLaughlin-Phillips is on the verge of becoming Wallaby number 1001 after Ben Donaldson was ruled out of the Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney with an upper leg injury, forcing a reshuffle at fly-half under head coach Les Kiss.

Donaldson wore the No. 10 jersey in the previous Test and was given until Thursday’s training session to prove his fitness, but the coaching staff ultimately decided the risk was not worth taking. Declan Meredith has been named to start at fly-half in his place, with Brumbies captain Ryan Lonergan alongside him at scrum-half.

McLaughlin-Phillips, 22, is set to come off the bench and make his international debut — a prospect Kiss described with clear enthusiasm. The pair have a well-established working relationship: Kiss coached McLaughlin-Phillips at the Queensland Reds, where the fly-half started against the British & Irish Lions last July, and Kiss also selected him for the AUNZ Invitational XV against the Lions in Adelaide.

“Huge growth in a lot of ways,” Kiss said of McLaughlin-Phillips. “He’ll take the line on in a different way to the other boys, he’s got a different skillset which I like. Goal-kicking has been fantastic lately so if he comes on and has to take over, we’re in a good place. He’s a physical 10 and just like Declan, they’ll hold their own in that channel in defence. I’m really pleased for him that he’s got this opportunity.”

McLaughlin-Phillips had a breakout Super Rugby Pacific season with the Reds before sealing a move to the Western Force ahead of the 2026 Super Rugby AUS campaign. Kiss had already called him into the Wallabies squad ahead of the 42-38 win over the Springboks, signalling his intentions for the uncapped youngster.

Meredith, 27, earned his place through a dominant Super Rugby Pacific season in which he started all but one game for the Brumbies, regularly displacing Tane Edmed — who ended last season as the Wallabies’ first-choice fly-half. He debuted for Australia during the Nations Championship Tests in July and last featured off the bench against the All Blacks in Auckland.

“He’s with his teammate at the Brumbies in Ryan at nine, so that certainly helps,” Kiss said of Meredith. “He’s had a couple of Test matches earlier in the year. I’ve got a lot of trust in what he’s got — he takes the line on, has a good kicking game, and is a very solid defender. Really looking forward to what he’ll bring.”

Tom Wright has been retained at fullback as the Wallabies look to build on their win over South Africa heading into the Bledisloe Cup series.