A month ago he was a Titan. This weekend Carter Gordon will start for the Wallabies

Less than a month after departing the NRL, Carter Gordon is set to make his return to action as the starting five-eighth for the Wallabies against Italy.

Gordon’s comeback – which will be his first game of rugby in almost 17 months – is expected to be part of a reshuffled Wallabies backline to meet the Azzuri in Udine, which will also see Max Jorgensen and Len Ikitau on the sidelines, despite the John Eales medallist returning to the squad this week.

Gordon is likely to be named as the Wallabies No.10, according to informed sources, after recently returning to the 15-man game, following a stint in the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans.

The 25-year-old was due to play off the bench for the Wallabies in the opening two Tests of the tour, against Japan and England, but picked up a minor quad strain at training before leaving Australia.

Gordon has overcome the niggle and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is set to push forward with a pre-tour plan to get the eight-Test playmaker back into the international arena when he names his side on Friday morning. With James O’Connor not called up, Tane Edmed is the only other No.10 in the squad and will likely shift to the bench.

Jorgensen is set to be replaced with Dylan Pietsch, and though he is notionally available from his English club Exeter in the first week of a 21-day regulation 9 window, Ikitau is also not likely to play.

Ikitau and Exeter teammate Tom Hooper attended the Wallabies’ loss to England at Twickenham, and officially re-joined the Wallabies’ squad ahead of the Italy clash.

Schmidt has, in the past, preferred a player get a decent stretch of training in the Test side before selecting him. But Hooper is set to play a role in the Italy clash, however, according to informed sources.

Will Skelton is also available but after playing for La Rochelle on Sunday, is not due to return to the squad until next week ahead of the Wallabies’ clash with Ireland in Dublin. It was Skelton’s first appearance for La Rochelle since September, and his first game back from a concussion sustained while playing for the Wallabies against New Zealand in Perth on October 4.

Gordon, who played one NRL match for the Titans, will be thrown in the deep end having not played a game of rugby since mid-2024, and having last played in a Test in September 2023.

Schmidt opted to take Gordon on tour ahead of Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh, the latter of whom started against the Lions but who was listed as injured for this tour.

The other man who has worn the No.10 this year, O’Connor, was also not included in the squad this week despite being available to join from his English club Leicester.

Schmidt is determined to build depth and spoke about it after losing to England at the weekend.

“I think we’ve demonstrated ability with a full squad that we can knock teams over, and we’ve got to build the depth in behind that squad,” Schmidt said.

“This tour is really part of that. Italy will be very tough. They were one score away from England at half-time last time they played them.”

Gordon debuted for the Wallabies in 2023 and went to the Rugby World Cup in France as the team’s primary No.10 under Eddie Jones. He was dropped mid-tournament, however, after being hooked in the loss against Fiji.

The Queenslander last played a game of rugby in June 2024, when the Rebels bowed out of the Super Rugby quarter-finals.

Gordon made a switch to rugby league two months later, but after a handful of early games in the Queensland Cup for the Tweed Seagulls, he suffered a serious spinal leak issue, which required surgery.

Gordon missed the majority of the NRL season as he recovered, before returning in the Queensland Cup and then debuting for the Titans in the team’s last round in September. He played nine games of league in total but was keen to return to the 15-game ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, citing “unfinished business” in the Wallabies jersey.