‘Gonna need him’: Dan Carter's warning to Wallabies before RWC squad reveal

Test veteran Quade Cooper and former Australian skipper Michael Hooper were among the surprise omissions from the Wallabies’ 33-man squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

The Wallabies have lost all four Test matches under Eddie Jones this year, and the legendary coach appears intent on building for the future.

Out of the players selected, 25 will make their World Cup debut in France.

But, what made the absence of playmaker Quade Cooper more baffling, was that coach Jones only named one first-five in the squad. Ben Donaldson is another option, but was listed as a ‘utility.’

Rising star Carter Gordon, who has only started two Test matches in Aussie gold, will spearhead the Wallabies’ attack when they charge into battle at the World Cup.

The young gun has shown plenty of potential and promise, sure, but the World Cup is a daunting stage. It’s a lot of responsibility to pin on the shoulders of a 22-year-old flyhalf.

Two-time Rugby World Cup-winning playmaker Dan Carter, who is widely considered one of the best players in All Blacks history, has weighed in on the Wallabies’ flyhalf options.

Before the World Cup squad was named, Carter sat down in a Chinese restaurant with Wallabies legend Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Mitchell asked his old international rival who he’d start at flyhalf if the Wallabies played in a World Cup final tomorrow. Dan Carter would’ve gone with Quade.

“Carter Gordon, I have a lot of respect for him,” Carter told The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Australia. “I think he’s got a lot of potential.

“I think he’ll really grow, and having that leadership around him like Quadey to learn from, you know what you’re going to get from Quade.

“(Quade is) still coming back from a pretty serious injury so I think the more game time he gets, the more confidence he’ll get as well.

“The games he has played this year he’s been a distributor of the ball. When he’s at his best, he’s attacking the line. Haven’t quite seen that from Quadey yet.

“Quadey’s been to World Cups, he’s been on the back end of some tough losses so he’s got the motivation, the experience, the willingness to rewrite the wrongs of previous World Cups.

“You know how valuable experience is in big moments like World Cup playoff games, you can’t buy that experience.”

But, despite what Carter expected from the Wallabies, coach Eddie Jones has handed the playmaking reins to young Gordon ahead of the biggest tournament in the sport.

Gordon made his Test debut off the bench against South Africa in Pretoria, and scored a try as well. The 22-year-old came off the bench the following week against Argentina in Sydney, too.

But ahead of Bledisloe I, Gordon was handed his first start in the No. 10 jersey at Test level. It wasn’t his best game, though, but an important one nonetheless.

“You’re gonna need him though. World Cup time, if you do reach the final like you’re talking about, there’s going to be injures, there’s going to be setbacks, there’s going to be lack of form for lack of players,” Carter added.

“You need your whole squad absolutely firing.

“He’s young, he’s talented, he’s got a really bright future.”

The Wallabies take on World Cup hosts and favourites France later this month in their final Test match before the tournament.