Just four months ago, scrum half Tate McDermott was left contemplating his Wallabies future after being left out of Eddie Jones’ first training squad.
Now the Reds superstar has been anointed the latest captain of the Wallabies as they prepare for the second Bledisloe Test against the All Blacks.
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McDermott becomes the 86th player to lead the Wallabies, maintaining his partnership with fellow Sunshine Coast star Carter Gordon in the halves.
Jones had foreshadowed in the past needing multiple captains although having to use four (Michael Hooper, James Slipper (both as co-captains), Allan Alaalatoa) this early in the season was probably not in his plans.
“We need to regenerate the team. We’ve got our third captain in the Rugby Championship and plus,” Jones said.
“Watching him closely at Super Rugby level, he captains a young Reds team and now coming into the team as the starting nine, he’s got great potential, a calm head but shows good direction and the field and he’s got all the attributes of a good captain.”
The Wallabies coach has history of picking scrum halves as captains. George Gregan stepped into the leadership role almost instantly under Jones in 2001 and when Gregran was rested in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, it was Chris Whittaker that took the captaincy.
“I don’t think we need to compare him to George (but) what George had, certainly Tate’s got,” Jones said to reporters.
“He’s got a strong determination to win, he’s a tough little bugger which are all good attributes of captains at nine.”
McDermott’s rise has been meteoric since being left out of Jones’ first squad, parlaying his strong form for the Reds into a recall and eventual start in last week’s Bledisloe opener.
“I knew better than most and me and Eddie spoke around my performance just wasn’t good enough (at the start of the year), particularly when you’re playing for your country, you can’t afford to dish that out at Super Rugby level,” he conceded.
“Of course I was disappointed, but it gave me the time to work on that stuff, freshen up and get stuck into what I needed to work on.
“As the captain, I tend to look at the negative parts of my game or the team so taking a step back from that and looking at how we can grow and develop as an individual and a side…it gave me the time to nitpick through that.”
“Quite simply, Tate had some work to do on this game and the great thing is he’s shown aptitude and the willingness to do it and now been rewarded not only with the starting spot but also the captaincy,” Jones added.
The 24-year-old has also grown as a leader since taking over as Queensland Reds co-captain from James O’Connor in 2022.
With Wright limited to two starts in 2022, McDermott was given a crash course as the Reds raced to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, only for a late season slide seeing them qualify in eighth.
The tough form followed them into 2023, eventually leading to Brad Thorn’s departure, providing McDermott the experience to understand how to guide the Wallabies given their current form slide.
“I’ve learnt a lot over the last two years and the last month,” McDermott believes.
“Being in this team, particularly from a leadership point of view, just how quickly we can solve problems is the biggest one I’ve learned. It’s so easy to be captain and criticise or pick up the negative parts of a game, particularly given how poor the Queensland Reds played the last two years.
“For me, every day was a challenge, there was a lot going on in the background but where I am now, that’s prepared me to step into this role.
“I’m the fourth captain in four games so that just speaks of the quality I have around me in that space and the amount of people that have helped me in that role. I’ll go out there with guys with Samu (Kerevi) who I’ve played a lot with and who’s captained the Reds and been by my side in this leadership journey (along with) Andrew Kellaway at the back.
“I’ve got a lot of people around me to help and support me playing my best footy.”
Jones forecasted a ‘remodelling’ of the team, with McDermott’s captaincy beyond Saturday to be discussed before the World Cup.
Allan Alaalatoa is out for the season, with Michael Hooper (calf) continuing his recovery whilst the impressive form of Angus Bell could see James Slipper remain as a finisher.
“We’re definitely remodelling the team. We need to change from where we’ve been and part of it is definitely the leadership aspect,” Jones added. “Tate’s captain for this game, but then we’ll assess it at the end of the tournament, then we go into World Cup mode.
“This has been a period where we’ve been finding a lot out about the team, what’s good, what’s not so good, where we are and aren’t strong. The nucleus of any good team going forward is the leadership and the captain’s obviously a massive part of that.
“It’s all part of a transitional period for us.”
