Wallabies beef up bench for Bledisloe Cup as star faces fitness test

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗
The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-10-14 · by Christy Doran

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As of October 14, 2026, Les Kiss has shifted star prop Angus Bell to the bench for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup rematch between the Wallabies and the All Blacks. The decision aims to prevent a second-half fade out during Saturday's game. Meanwhile, Carter Gordon, the Wallabies' first-choice playmaker who fractured his fibula in September, will undergo a fitness test within 48 hours to determine if he can participate in the Nations Championship campaign next month. If Gordon passes the test, he is expected to join the squad for the upcoming matches. The Australia A team, including former Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt as an assistant, has already gathered in Sydney and will depart for a two-match tour of the USA this weekend.

Written for “Wallabies Squad For Bledisloe Cup” on 2026-10-14, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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📰 Wallabies Squad For Bledisloe Cup
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Cite this article

Doran, C. (2026, October 14). Wallabies beef up bench for Bledisloe Cup as star faces fitness test. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/wallabies-beef-up-bench-for-bledisloe-cup-as-star-faces-fitness-test-20261014-p615l6.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-14 · how these are computed

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Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 3585 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Christy Doran
7 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The news came as it emerged that Carter Gordon – the Wallabies’ first-choice playmaker – will have a fitness test in the next 48 hours to determine if he will be available for the Nations Championship campaign next month.
🔮 Following the Test, Cummins said Australia’s brains trust, including coach Andrew McDonald and selectors, would continue to be flexible with the top seven.
🔮 In props Naufahu Whyte, captain James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota and Joseph Tapine, the Kiwis might have the best collection of props in the country’s history.
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Giant Kiwis hunting Kangaroos in World Cup opener
🔮 With the Kangaroos on the back foot and defending their line 15 metres out, Hughes put the ball on the toe on the second tackle to try to catch Mal Meninga’s men out and send Peta Hiku in to score, but the makeshift winger couldn’t ground the ball inside the field of play. The missed chance was the Kiwis’ last great chance.
🔮 Playing in October may end up having a big influence on this Test match, given it falls outside a regulation 9 window.
🔮 Instead, he’s the best part of 200 kilometres south at Coogee Beach with the Kiwi squad for the Rugby League World Cup, and there’s nowhere else the New Zealand-raised fullback would rather be.
Also by Christy Doran
Giant Kiwis hunting Kangaroos in World Cup opener
2026-10-12 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 7 articles by Christy Doran →

Topics

Australia A Bledisloe Cup Nations Championship Wallabies the All Blacks

Subjects

Wallabies ORG · 10× Australia A ORG · 4× the All Blacks NORP · 3× Kiss PERSON · 2× McDermott PERSON · 2× Angus Bell PERSON · 1× Carter Gordon PERSON · 1× Gordon PERSON · 1× Les Kiss PERSON · 1× Tate McDermott PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The news came as it emerged that Carter Gordon – the Wallabies’ first-choice playmaker – will have a fitness test in the next 48 hours to determine if he will be available for the Nations Championship campaign next month.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-14
🔮 The news came as it emerged that Carter Gordon – the Wallabies’ first-choice playmaker – will have a fitness test in the next 48 hours to determine if he will be available for the Nations Championship campaign next month.
2026-10-14 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Wallabies beef up bench for Bledisloe Cup as star faces fitness test · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

Les Kiss has shifted star prop Angus Bell to the bench to ensure there is no second-half fade out in Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup rematch, but there is no room for electric halfback Tate McDermott. asserted
Kiss → shift → McDermott
The news came as it emerged that Carter Gordon – the Wallabies’ first-choice playmaker – will have a fitness test in the next 48 hours to determine if he will be available for the Nations Championship campaign next month. asserted
he → come → campaign
Gordon fractured his fibula during the Wallabies’ agonising 28-all draw with the Pumas in Argentina last month. asserted
Gordon → fracture → Argentina
The injury was expected to keep the Queensland star out for up to two months. asserted
injury → expect → months
Should the 25-year-old be declared fit, it is expected he will be one of three playmakers included in Kiss’ squad for the campaign. asserted
he → declare → campaign
Uncapped Wallaby Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, who is in the squad to face the All Blacks, would then join Australia A for their two-match tour of the USA. asserted
who → face → USA
The Australia A squad – which includes former Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt as an assistant alongside head coach Stephen Larkham – gathered in Sydney on Wednesday and will fly to America this weekend. asserted
which → include → America
Already some of the selections for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash are being viewed as part of the bigger picture, despite the Wallabies hoping to snap their 12-match losing streak against the All Blacks. asserted
Wallabies → view → Blacks
Bell, the Wallabies’ world-class loose-head prop, will come off the bench, with Aidan Ross set to start against the nation he played a Test for in 2022. asserted
he → come → 2022
The decision is set to give the Wallabies some strike power in the second half, having been smashed 50-19 despite trailing by just three points at half-time last week at Eden Park. asserted
decision → set → Park
In the same way that Allan Alaalatoa’s minutes have been managed throughout 2026, the Wallabies’ hierarchy are keen to keep the destructive ball-carrier fresh given there’s another four Tests in the next seven weeks. asserted
carrier → manage → weeks
Bell is expected to be joined on the bench by lock Josh Canham, who returns from a hamstring injury, and flanker Carlo Tizzano. asserted
who → expect → injury
Following Len Ikitau’s concussion, Kiss is also expected to shift Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to the midfield to join Isaac Henry, and promote Harry Potter to the wing. asserted
Kiss → follow → wing
The other significant change is Kalani Thomas being included on the bench at the expense of McDermott, who struggled last week and has yet to find his best form since returning from a long-term hamstring injury. asserted
who → include → injury
While McDermott’s axing will raise eyebrows, his omission is tied to the fact that the experienced halfback, who captained the Wallabies against the All Blacks in 2023, could miss part of the November campaign as he awaits the birth of his first child, according to informed sources unable to speak publicly. It is also why selectors are keen to give Thomas some game time despite being named in the Australia A squad on Monday. uncertain
selectors → raise → Monday
The halfback is likely to join the Wallabies on tour in November. asserted
halfback → join → November
Rising Waratahs halfback Teddy Wilson was a notable omission from the Australia A squad, but the 23-year-old is set for a maiden call-up to the Wallabies squad instead. asserted
old → rise → squad
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