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Former All Blacks star Tawera Kerr-Barlow could still pull on the gold jersey for the first time, with Australia A to play Portugal the day before the Wallabies take on France in their final Test ahead of the World Cup.
The Roar can reveal that the former World Cup-winner, who came off the bench in New Zealand’s 2015 triumph over the Wallabies at Twickenham, remains in consideration for a remarkable call-up by Eddie Jones.
Although Kerr-Barlow hasn’t been called up by Jones for The Rugby Championship, sources have told The Roar the French-based halfback has been spoken about as a potential option for the World Cup.
Tawera Kerr-Barlow remains in the conversation to play for the Wallabies. (Photo by Mark Nolan-Pool/Getty Images)
Australian-born Kerr-Barlow, 32, hasn’t played for the All Blacks since playing his 27th Test in 2017, but last year revealed he was keen and available to play for the Wallabies if Dave Rennie, whom he won two Super Rugby titles under at the Chiefs, came knocking.
While Rennie has since been moved on by Rugby Australia, Kerr-Barlow, whose mother played for the Wallaroos, has remained open to playing for the nation he lived in until he was a teenager and still has a strong attachment to the land in the Northern Territory.
“I’d love to chuck on the Australian jersey as I spent the first part of life in Australia, my family is still there and I’m very grateful for what they have done for my family. My mum played for Australia,” he said.
“It [opening up eligibility] is a positive thing. You will get people saying, ‘Oh, you know, you’re not loyal’ or ‘How can you play for one country and play for another?’ But if you are born in a country or your parents are born there and you feel a certain way about the country and you have got roots already established, then why not?
“I’m a pretty open individual in terms of those sorts of things and I just want rugby to be the big thing I know it can be because if you love rugby, you want it to improve.”
In an interview on SENZ radio earlier this year, Kerr-Barlow said he felt like the Wallabies would keep the status quo.
“I haven’t had any contact with them,” he told SENZ in May.
“My camp has reached out to them and I don’t think there was much interest … it got blown massively out of proportion but I put my hand up to be available since the rule changed and I’ve always said I’ve always been proud to have come from Darwin.
“There’s a lot of people and support there that helped my family through my childhood and stuff and it would be nice to repay them but I think nothing’s going to come of it so it’s kind of a moot point.”
Tawera Kerr-Barlow won the World Cup with the All Blacks in 2015. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Yet, in light of Kerr-Barlow’s brilliance for La Rochelle, there are several rugby figures in Australia, including at Rugby Australia, who believe he’s worth considering.
Rugby sources told The Roar that his name had been spoken about recently, too.
Last year, Rennie believed the Wallabies had four world-class options in Nic White, Tate McDermott, Jake Gordon and the uncapped Ryan Lonergan.
White and McDermott have been used by Jones during the first two defeats of the year, while Lonergan is also a part of the squad.
While McDermott’s pace and ability to probe around the ruck has him someone firmly in the frame for a World Cup call-up, there is the thought that Kerr-Barlow, whose core skills are strong and his physicality is a feature too, would provide something different to both White and Lonergan.
Stade Rochelais halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow makes a break during the Heineken Champions Cup Final against Leinster at Aviva Stadium on May 20, 2023 in Dublin. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Interestingly, Gordon, who captains the Waratahs, was not going to even be a part of the Australia A team before a last-minute change of heart by Jones saw him called back from holidays early to play against Tonga.
Gordon has since signed a short-term deal with Toulon and is understood not to be a part of Jones’ World Cup plans.
While Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, who performed strongly coming off the bench against Tonga, has impressed Wallabies officials, including Jones, it’s unlikely he would be looked at for national honours in 2023 unless an injury to livewire McDermott.
He could still play a role for Australia A against Portugal or the Barbarians later this year.
But given Australia A will play their World Cup pool rivals in Paris the day before the Wallabies meet France the final weekend of August, it could also pave the way for Jones to call up Kerr-Barlow for the match.
The Australia A side, which will be coached by Jason Gilmore but selected by Jones, could feature up to 10 Wallabies who aren’t selected for the match a day later against France. But, in all likelihood, it will be less than that give Jones won’t want to risk everyone.
It means on top of Jones’ 33 players selected for the World Cup, there could be an additional 20 players called up to play the Australia A fixture.
But the luxury of having Kerr-Barlow in France means he won’t have to travel across the globe to put his best foot forward.
Tawera Kerr Barlow remains one of the world’s best halfbacks. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
As many as 15 players selected for Australia A will remain in the Northern Hemisphere to play for the Barbarians, with Gilmore, Nathan Grey, Laurie Fisher and Berrick Barnes a part of the coaching team that will play a series of matches against British opposition. It’s likely the invitational club will help foot the bill for their travel costs to Europe.
All year Jones has spoken of the strong likelihood of concussion and Head Injury Assessments playing a significant role in this year’s World Cup.
With World Rugby introducing mandatory 12-day stand downs for a majority of players who suffer a concussion, tournament officials increased the squad size from 31 to 33.
It’s in part why Jones moved heaven and Earth to ensure he would have a large contingent of Australian players ready for action across the English Channel playing for the Barbarians.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.