Schmidt backs Gordon's skills but no hints on Wallabies captaincy
SYDNEY - Australia coach Joe Schmidt has given a glowing review of Jake Gordon's importance to the Wallabies as a player but offered no clue to where the experienced scrumhalf fits in his leadership plans for the British & Irish Lions series.
Schmidt, who will name his squad over the next two weeks, has not yet confirmed who will captain the Wallabies against the Lions but an Australian media report said last week it would be Gordon.
The New South Wales Waratahs skipper was left out of the squad for the last World Cup by Eddie Jones but his test career was revived by Schmidt and he started all nine tests last year ahead of Tate McDermott and Nic White.
"Jake, he's one of the leaders in the group, but so is Nic White ... and Tate McDermott has been a former captain," Schmidt told reporters in Perth.
"Jake has a really good skill-set, mature player, very nice kicking game, one of the sharper passes around and he is utterly committed when he's on the grass.
"His ability to cover corners and make tackles, involved in the physical stuff he's a multi-purpose sort of player, but at the sharp edge of his game is really his pass-kick, which were very helpful to us last year."
The Lions play Argentina in Dublin next week before heading to Australia for seven tour matches and the three-test series in late July and early August.
Schmidt said he knew from his time as Ireland coach just how special the Lions jersey was to the players who wore it and warned the Wallabies would really need to roll their sleeves up to be ready for the tests.
"They can play in so many different ways," he said of the tourists.
"They can be really physical, they can be square and coming at you. They can get you on the edges. They have got the likes of Tommy Freeman and Hugo Keenan, who are so good in the air that you're going to have to be good there.
"We can just try to work as hard as we can, to be as well prepared to understand the threats they're going to bring, and be ready to combat them and also to try to put our stamp on the game a little bit, and take the initiative when we can." REUTERS
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