Wallabies coach Les Kiss is officially looking to the future, opting to test Australia's rising playmaking talent rather than leaning on seasoned veterans for the upcoming Test against South Africa in Perth.
With first-choice flyhalf Carter Gordon sidelined with a broken leg, Kiss has named a 34-man squad featuring an injection of youth in the crucial number ten jersey. Uncapped 22-year-old Harry McLaughlin-Phillips has been brought into the squad alongside Ben Donaldson and Declan Meredith as the three designated flyhalves.
While established campaigners like Bernard Foley and James O'Connor remain in the background, Kiss is intent on giving his younger playmakers the room to grow on the international stage.
The decision signals a clear strategy from the first-year Wallabies coach: give the younger talent the keys to the attack and see how they handle the pressure of Test match rugby.
"To have the opportunity to have Harry McLaughlin-Phillips come in and work with us and see how we work, and obviously Donno (Donaldson) has 20-odd Tests already, so he's building a bit of experience," Kiss said.
"We've got young Declan Meredith, who's been in superb form for the Brumbies all year, and he's done really well for us over the last four weeks, and he's played three Test matches to date in this campaign."
Kiss believes that exposing these players to high-stakes environments now is the only way to build sustainable depth for the Wallabies.
"Those younger guys, we're trying to make sure we get them upskilled, then understand how they can lead the game and drive it forward," Kiss explained. "Part of the thinking was ensuring that those guys can have a bit of blue sky and make sure they take the team and the game forward the way we'd like to."
Choosing youth does not mean Kiss has permanently closed the door on Australia's old guard. He acknowledges the immense value of veteran experience, viewing it as a reliable insurance policy that can be triggered whenever necessary.
"We know experience stands for a lot, without a doubt," Kiss admitted. "The experience that we do have in (Foley and O'Connor), we'd like to see them play some games, and they'll get plenty of opportunity."
"When you look at experience, you can pull them in at any time, and they'll really get on-page straight away. We know what we get from them. And we know that we can always lean back into the experience if we need to."
For the immediate challenge of facing the physical world champion Springboks in Perth, the directive is development. McLaughlin-Phillips' previous integration with the camp ultimately tipped the scales in his favour for this selection window.
"We felt it was just the right decision to bring Harry in and continue the work that he did about five or six weeks ago when he was with the team, and that was our rationale with the experience versus some of the younger guys," Kiss said.