Uncapped Wallabies fly-half Meredith backed by teammates as debut looms against Ireland

Declan Meredith has been named in a Wallabies squad for the first time as Australia prepare to open their Nations Championship campaign against Ireland, with Brumbies scrum-half Ryan Lonergan confirming the uncapped fly-half is settling in well despite the weight of expectation on a first-time playmaker.

Meredith is one of three potential debutants in the 37-player group assembled for the home Tests. Western Force fly-half Ben Donaldson leads the No. 10 options with 19 Test caps, while Carter Gordon — back in Super Rugby Pacific with the Queensland Reds in 2026 — provides a second proven alternative.

The 26-year-old forced his way into contention after an outstanding Brumbies season, starting 14 of 15 matches for Stephen Larkham’s side and pushing 2025 Wallabies starter Tane Edmed to the bench. His partnership with Lonergan at halfback was one of the standout combinations in Super Rugby Pacific, and both players now find themselves in contention to represent Australia together at international level.

Lonergan, speaking to reporters this week, offered an candid picture of how Meredith is navigating the step up. “We know ‘Dex’ is under the pump,” the scrum-half said. “When you come in as a playmaker for the first time, you’ve got to get yourself up to speed so you can let other people know what they’ve got to do in and around their roles. He’s done really well so far and he’s continuing to get his head around it. I’ve helped him out a few times and the other 10s are really helping him out there.”

Lonergan added that the fly-half group — Meredith, Donaldson and Gordon — have been working closely together across meetings and training sessions. “They’re all great fellas and they look after each other,” he said.

Lonergan himself is a candidate to start at scrum-half against Ireland, competing with Reds pair Tate McDermott and Kalani Thomas. The Brumbies captain made his Test debut last year after coming on as a replacement when McDermott went off injured against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and went on to earn four further caps before the season ended.

He returned to club rugby and delivered arguably his best Super Rugby campaign to date, starting 14 of 15 matches and reaching the 100-game career milestone in the competition.

With the Wallabies’ international season now under way, Meredith’s ability to absorb the playmaking demands of Test rugby quickly will be one of the more closely watched storylines as Joe Schmidt’s squad builds towards the Nations Championship.