Harry Wilson knew he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t give the Wallabies one more, “red-hot crack” under new coach Eddie Jones.
The dynamic Queensland No.8 had managed only sporadic appearances at Test level since his debut in 2020, but saw the change of regime as a fresh start.
Buoyed by regular check-ins with Jones in the opening rounds of the season, clear feedback on what the new coach wanted and an encouraging offer from Rugby Australia, he agreed to stay in Australia until the end of 2025.
The next day, he didn’t make the cut for Jones’s first Wallabies camp.
It was a rude shock but, as Wilson says, it wasn’t the first time he’d been left off the list.
“It was quite disappointing … but I know that Eddie rates me as a footballer and I know what he wants me to do to improve. I’ve got no doubt I can work on them over the next six games and be a part of the Wallabies this year,” he said.
“I feel as if I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t give it another red hot crack.”
Queensland Reds, Wallabies back rower, Harry Wilson
“I was stoked to be re-signing and I haven’t been picked for camps before, so I wasn’t going to get too frustrated about it.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years it’s that it’s not always going to go your way and the instructions [Jones] had given to me was stuff I felt I could do. It wasn’t ‘get angry’ time, it was just more motivation to improve my game.”
Wilson made it to Sanctuary Cove, called in to replace injured back-row rivals Pete Samu and Langi Gleeson, on the eve of the camp.
Swings and roundabouts, as he said.
The Waratahs’ Langi Gleeson, pictured, and the Brumbies’ Rob Valetini, will be Wilson’s main competition.Credit: Getty
There are still no guarantees. Especially not under Jones, whose arrival has put players on edge in a way no Wallabies coach has done in a long time.
But the Gunnedah-raised Wilson was one of the higher-profile ‘losers’ in the Rennie era, enduring a public discussion of his shortcomings as fans of his scratched their heads over his regular absences and Rennie, when questioned, balanced transparency with the sanctity of the player-coach relationship.
With Rob Valetini and Samu playing well, Wilson made just two appearances last year. He found it hard to move the needle starting at No.6 in the series decider against England and No.8 in the second Bledisloe Cup clash in Auckland.
Jones’s arrival gave Wilson and many others, such as Tate McDermott, Suliasi Vunivalu and Noah Lolesio hopes of a fresh start. Wilson and Jones caught up after a trial game in Narrabri and kept in touch as the season started.
Harry Wilson, second from left, training with the Wallabies squad at Sanctuary Cove last week.Credit: Getty
While the omission stung in April, Wilson knew he was in a strong field. As well as Valetini and Samu, Waratahs tyro Gleeson was capped on the November tour, and the Reds opened their season by dropping games against the Hurricanes, Brumbies, Rebels and Crusaders.
“I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we have underperformed over the last few years, especially against the New Zealand sides, which are the games we’re most excited for and up for,” he said. “There’s been no hiding there, we haven’t beaten them for two years now, so things have to change.“
The 12-Test back-rower said clarity at the top helped him decide to stay in Australia when others, such as Samu and former Queensland teammates Angus Scott-Young and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, decided to head overseas.
“I love it. I know exactly what I have to do to be a part of the Wallabies this year,” he said.
“It is quite different to Dave (Rennie’s) feedback. It’s not worrying so much about my footwork, Eddie’s really big on work rate, he really likes what I can do with the ball in hand and when I’m involved, but it’s about when I don’t have the ball, how can I be benefitting the team by making a carry, then being alive the next phase rather than switching off.
“For me that’s a real mental thing. I know I’m fit enough, it’s about doing it throughout the game an even under fatigue.”
While Wilson was avoiding Jones’s cattle prod at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland Rugby announced this would be Thorn’s last season.
There was a sense of the inevitable about the news after two seasons of worsening results, but Wilson has only good things to say about the inspirational dual-code international at Ballymore.
The Reds have not named Thorn’s successor, but Wilson doesn’t mind the unknown. He has unfinished business in Australia, he says, with the Wallabies and with the Reds.
“I feel as if I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t give it another red hot crack,” he said.
“There’s a lot of things I want to prove here. The money offshore’s great, but I’m a proud Queenslander and a proud Australian and I’d really like to do some cool things in the Queensland and the Wallabies jersey over the next two years.”
