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Easts coach Ben Batger admits he had a “heart attack” on Sunday when, less than a week out from the Shute Shield grand final, he was informed he may lose his best player.
The complicating bit for Batger was part of him was slightly happy about the news. Halfback Teddy Wilson had been placed on standby to fly to Argentina and join the Wallabies squad in Mendoza, after Ryan Lonergan left the field in the win in Jujuy on Sunday and Tate McDermott also picked up an injury.
“I was very torn because it was a potential chance for Teddy to make a Wallabies debut, but then you lose probably your most influential player for the grand final,” Batger said.
“At the end of the day my job is to help guys get to the next level, so I would have been happy for him, but sad for the team. Luckily, we didn’t have to go there.”
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With Lonergan later cleared to play and Kalani Thomas already with the squad in Mendoza as the third Wallabies halfback, Wilson was told to stay put and take his place in the Shute Shield decider for Easts against Warringah on Saturday.
Down at Woollahra Oval, the news was like the sun coming out again.
After a run of outstanding form heading into the finals, Wilson is the Beasties’ biggest weapon for the decider at Leichhardt Oval, where the eastern suburbs side will be looking to avenge their loss to the Rats in last year’s grand final.
The Waratahs and Australia A halfback helped steer Easts to their drought-breaking title in 2024, but Wilson is, by several orders of magnitude, an even better player now.
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“He probably shouldn’t be playing with us; he should be in Argentina right now,” Batger said. “That’s my perspective on things. It’s really only a matter of when, not if, he plays for the Wallabies.
“On the field he obviously has a major impact – teams have to defend the ruck so much because as soon as there is any bit of daylight, he can take the space.
“Statistically, he is unbelievable. He plays like a back-rower in defence. People don’t understand that. He makes 10 tackles per game, he can make a jackal, all that. I know everyone talks about his running game, but his defence, he is literally like we have a fourth back-rower on the field.
“That’s a massive advantage at any level, to have a halfback that tough. He’s also a former boxing champion.”
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Wilson’s father, David, was a Wallabies captain and a World Cup winner, in a 79-Test career as a back-rower.
Batger said criticism of Wilson’s kicking game is overblown, and also serves to unfairly diminish the many other strengths in his game.
The 23-year-old’s loyalty to Easts – he is at training and around the club during any break from his Waratahs duties – has a huge impact on the other players, the coach added.
“And when he’s playing, the team just gets confidence when he is around,” Batger said. “He is almost like a cheat code – you’re guaranteed at least one line break per game or one incredible moment. On the weekend, it was his try-saving tackle that secured the win for us against Uni, him covering in behind. It is something many people don’t see or recognise – just how much work he can get through.”
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Wilson recently re-signed with the Waratahs for 2027, but as a former junior rep rugby league player with Manly until the age of 17, the left-footer is also still on the radar of several NRL clubs based on his form for NSW and Easts, according to informed sources.
Influential figures at the Rugby Australia-owned Waratahs are desperate to keep the halfback, who is seen by many as a future long-serving Test player after he gets a chance, in the same mould as Lonergan, who made his debut at the age of 26 last year and has swiftly become the No.1 Wallabies halfback.
After playing his first game for the Waratahs in 2022, Wilson has played 40 times for NSW, but only had 10 starts, after biding his time under Jake Gordon and sharing time with Jack Grant.
Gordon’s Achilles tendon injury will make Wilson the main man at NSW for the start of the 2027 competition, at least.
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Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement