Eddie Jones will drop Quade Cooper as part of a brave call to field a youthful Wallabies side in the Rugby Championship finale against the All Blacks in Melbourne.
Jones on Thursday will name his Wallabies matchday squad to tackle the All Blacks in the final round of the Rugby Championship, which will also serve as the first match in the Bledisloe Cup.
The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003 and have not lost a Test since being stunned by Argentina in Christchurch last August.
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New Zealand go into the final round of the Rugby Championship top of the log, with the second-placed Springboks needing the Wallabies to deny the All Blacks a single log point in order to stand a chance of winning the tournament for the first time since 2019.
Jones, who is looking for the first win in his second stint in charge of Australia, is reportedly set to make a number of drastic changes to the side that lost to Argentina.
According to a report by The Roar, the headline change will see veteran playmaker Cooper replaced by Melbourne Rebels rookie Carter Gordon.
The 22-year-old Gordon played off the bench against the Springboks and Los Pumas, scoring a late try on debut at Loftus Versfeld, and will reportedly be paired with 24-year-old Reds livewire Tate McDermott in the halfbacks.
Fellow Melbourne Rebel Andrew Kellaway is poised to play at fullback, after Tom Wright was dropped from the squad following two indifferent performances in the No 15 jersey. Jordan Petaia will pair Samu Kerevi in a new-look midfield.
Meanwhile, the Wallabies could be without co-captain Michael Hooper due to injury, meaning another opportunity for the bigger Tom Hooper in the back row. Another surprise call could see Angus Bell start ahead of the other co-captain James Slipper in the front row, meaning Jones would have to name a new captain to lead the Wallabies.
Photo: WIKUS DE WET / AFP