Wallabies captaincy frontrunner revealed, as great's son makes his case
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has identified Harry Wilson as a frontrunner for the nation's captaincy against the British and Irish Lions, as the star No.8 establishes his legacy in the gold jumper.
Despite only returning from a fractured arm two weeks ago, the Queensland Red's influence is not lost on Schmidt, who in 2024 made him Australia's most consistent skipper of the past two years.
Before his comeback, Wilson told this masthead he hadn't spoken with Schmidt, but the latter confirmed in Brisbane that the 25-year-old loomed as the top candidate to lead from the front.
That is, if he can recover from a wrist injury that has left him in doubt for the Reds' qualifying final against the Crusaders on Friday.
'You know what you're going to get with Harry, he's so wholehearted, and he's so proud to put that jersey on,' Schmidt said.
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'I think other players appreciate that. It's a little bit contagious in the environment, so Harry is part of our leadership team, and whoever leads the team on any given Saturday is usually someone who comes out of that four or five man leadership team.
'Harry would be one of the four runners for that position, but we'll see how he comes back and how a few other guys who are playing well get through that play-off period.'
Wilson's injury concerns, and the continued absence of flanker Liam Wright (shoulder), makes for a daunting build-up to Queensland's battle in Christchurch.
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