‘I have given everything’: Why Wallabies star Gordon looked at Tahs exit door

It says a bit about Jake Gordon that even when the Waratahs captain was contemplating leaving with a year left on his contract, he thought it might help the club.

A loyal servant of NSW Rugby for eight seasons, Gordon has led by example from halfback in every single win, loss or draw, and he was made skipper of the franchise in 2021. This season, the 30-year-old played his 100th game in sky blue.

So when it emerged in May that Gordon had not only investigated the option of leaving the Waratahs mid-contract to play in France, but engaged in talks with Rugby Australia about a release, it was another gut punch for Tahs fans during an excruciating wooden-spoon season.

Et tu Jake?

“I just saw it as an opportunity to try something different,” Gordon said. “I didn’t see it as quitting. I think I have proven how much the Waratahs mean to me.

“You think a lot and question a lot of things when you go through something like this, and there are young halfbacks coming through at the Tahs and I thought, ‘Well maybe this is the transition’. At the time, it felt like maybe this is the best thing for the club.”

In the end, Gordon’s inquiries about a release were shot down by Rugby Australia and he was fine with that call, too. Gordon is committed to seeing out his contract with NSW until the end of 2025 – at least – and he was this week back in Wallabies camp, after returning from the Eddie Jones-era wilderness.

Jake Gordon training with the Wallabies.

He is keen to pour himself into Test rugby, again, and hopes to be part of the Wallabies-Lions series next year.

Gordon also sat down with this masthead to explain that release, the future of the struggling Waratahs and why he has unfinished business in Wallabies gold.

EDDIE AND A FRENCH FLING

The origins of Gordon’s French flirtation trace back to the “disappointment” of being brushed by Jones for the World Cup. Gordon took up a World Cup cover deal with Toulon in France instead, but he came home without playing a game due to lingering concussion symptoms, suffered while playing for Australia A.

“Even though I really did nothing over there, the exposure and seeing how impressive French rugby is, was enticing for me at the time,” Gordon said.

“I came back and Eddie was still in charge, so I spoke to my manager about possibly seeing what was out there, in the future. There was no timing around it, I knew I wasn’t off contract until 2025 and we didn’t speak about when it was going to be.

“If Eddie was to be staying, it was just looking at opportunities and how that might work.”

Leading Top 14 club Perpignan were not only interested, they were keen for Gordon to get out of his existing contract and come at the end of 2024. Was that possible?

“It seemed at the time like that timing was maybe right,” Gordon said.

“It was also about testing myself in a new environment. I am 30, I have been at the Tahs for nine years and next year will be 10, and I was feeling like I needed new stimulus.”

Jake Gordon chasing a gap for the Waratahs in Super Rugby.

Jones departed and Schmidt arrived, but talks continued with Perpignan over the summer and into the new season. Gordon held talks with Rugby Australia about where it saw him in the overall picture – an official request for a release was never submitted – but RA told Gordon it was not willing to entertain an early exit.

“I had some conversations with Joe. He was really honest around, not so much where I sat, but around my rugby and where he thinks I can improve and make some adjustments. I really enjoyed my conversations with him,” Gordon said.

“Conversations continued [with Perpignan] and it got close. But then it got to a point where they [RA] pretty much made the decision, they wanted me to stay. Which was fine. Either one would have been cool.”

‘If Eddie was to be staying, it was just looking at opportunities and how that might work.’

Jake Gordon

There was a logic, of sorts. Gordon is on an RA top-up deal, and with former Junior Wallabies captain Teddy Wilson nipping at his heels at the Tahs, there is a version of the story where head office might approve a release for a player viewed as on the decline and not in the frame for the Wallabies.

But as evidenced by his strong form in 2024, Gordon is arguably only just hitting his prime. Schmidt duly included him in the Wallabies squad.

Did Gordon think about how a mid-contract exit would land among Waratahs fans? And the team?

“I did think about that a bit … but I have tried hard here, I have tried my hardest,” Gordon said.

“I have given everything I’ve got to win games or better the environment. I love the joint. So there was no real regret about any of that. It was just an opportunity and, at the time, it felt right. But it also feels right that I am still here, and I am definitely excited about the next year, 18 months.”

WARATAHS’ DEMISE

The Tahs ended a woeful season in last place with just two wins. Gordon said the concern began when they played poorly in the trials, but after a competitive round one loss to Queensland and a round two win over the Crusaders, the mood was upbeat. But they lost their next three games by two, two and three points.

“The emotional toll that took, when you are so close ... it broke us a bit. I remember finishing that game against Fiji, and just how exhausted we were [after losing in golden point]. Looking back, it was a turning point,” he said.

“Then the injuries come in and then it just got tough.”

COACHING CHAOS

After a three-year stint, Darren Coleman was informed his contract wouldn’t be extended at the end of the season and the Waratahs have been searching for a new coach since. They announced Simon Raiwalui as a new director of performance on Friday but the delay – and uncertainty – about who will be coach is a concern for players contemplating whether to come to Sydney, and those wondering if they should depart.

Jake Gordon and Darren Coleman at the Super Rugby launch in 2023.

“It needs to be done quickly. Sooner rather than later,” Gordon said of the coach appointment.

“This period, we are at a point now where there are guys who need to sort out their future and we need to get that rolling. For the next coach, to have his fingerprints on the team is very important. Whoever they do recruit, it needs to be a really strong leader.”

Gordon is a big supporter of Coleman, and hopes he is not lost to Australian rugby.

“His care and passion is unbelievable. You reflect on a few things and maybe if we won two out of those three games, it’d be a different conversation. But I felt for him, because it definitely took its toll by the end,” he said.

Gordon says he is excited about the imminent arrival of Joseph Suaalii.

“I watched him play a Roosters game at Allianz a year ago or so, and it was impressive. Just around how physical he is in contact, that straight away stood out,” Gordon said.

“And he hasn’t been out of the game for that long. So the adjustment won’t be as big.”

BACK IN THE WALLABIES

With Schmidt turning to many of the experienced players who Jones snubbed, Gordon is well positioned to add more Test caps to his tally (20) this winter.

Despite the Waratahs’ form and the contractual uncertainty, Gordon turned in one of his best Super Rugby seasons yet, with a mix of skill, determination and leadership that comes when a mature player appears comfortable with their game.

“There is a little bit of regret around Test footy. I don’t feel like I have nailed it just yet,” Gordon said.

“The confidence around the skill work, I can handle that. But I really want to have a great year, where I can express myself. I feel like I haven’t had a year with the Wallabies where I have been stoked with, where I am consistent. I have had a few cards in there at times … I had been carded once in my Super career and then I got carded in two Tests back to back [in 2022].

“I would love to have a more consistent year in the gold, if that comes.”