‘When are we going to learn?’: McKellar fears Wallabies hype could derail Brumbies bolter

Waratahs coach Dan McKellar has issued a blunt warning about calls for in-form Brumbies playmaker Declan Meredith to be rushed into the Wallabies, saying Australian rugby’s obsession with “diamonds in the rough” leads to unfair pressure and the potential destruction of promising careers.

McKellar’s strong comments came as Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham also tried to pour cold water on the Wallabies chat around Meredith, amid concern the spotlight on his five-eighth will be a distraction before the derby with the Waratahs on Friday.

McKellar, who worked with Meredith when he coached at the Brumbies, believes the history of Australian rugby proves a playmaker cannot be rushed into Test football without the necessary experience.

“I just get nervous for the individual when all of a sudden he’s played a couple of good games, we start throwing in Wallaby chat again,” McKellar said.

“When are we going to learn that that sort of pressure on young men doesn’t help them? It’s been going on for I don’t know how many years now.

“I could rattle off 10 names of players who have played a couple of good games (and get overhyped).

“We’re just trying to find the diamond in the rough. Declan’s been good, but I think as a game we need not to apply pressure on him and think that he’s going to be the next big thing.”

Meredith has become a hot topic in recent weeks after performing brilliantly for the Brumbies in the No.10 shirt, in which he steered the ACT side to four wins, including three over New Zealand sides.

The 26-year-old has rocketed into the frame for a spot in the Wallabies squad this year, particularly as he is keeping incumbent Test No.10 Tane Edmed on the bench at the Brumbies.

Meredith’s rise has been both sudden and years in the making, after the Cairns product moved to Canberra in 2019 on a Brumbies development deal. After starring in ACT club rugby, he made his debut for the Brumbies in 2023.

Meredith has started only nine of his 29 Super games in four seasons, mostly being used as a utility back from the bench before this year.

But after Noah Lolesio departed the Brumbies last season, and with Edmed only joining the club from the Waratahs early this year, Larkham turned to Meredith to fill the No.10 shirt.

With maturity borne of many years in the Brumbies system, Meredith has been among the club’s best players and the form has put him in the conversation of a Wallabies call-up, along with Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson.

“Having watched him at Brumbies training, he [Meredith] also is quite commanding in the way that he runs the team, in that others are looking for direction,” Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said on RugbyHeaven last week.

“Declan’s done a longer apprenticeship than most coming into Super Rugby, some of the other guys, they come in very young and it’s hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes at 10, with that step up and pressure and when you get to Test level, that wood’s a lot thicker.

“Having had those experiences and built on them, I think it just allows him to see more, and stay calmer, and be more decisive.

On Monday, Meredith said he believes he can step up: “I think I would be ready for it [Wallabies], but obviously it’s definitely a massive step up to go from club to Wallabies level.

But Larkham tried to dampen the hype on Wednesday by declining to comment on Meredith’s chances to make the Wallabies.

“I think Declan’s very much focused on us at the moment … there are a lot of distractions coming into this week for the players,” Larkham said.

“I think talk of Wallaby selection is one of those distractions that build up to the game … first and foremost, they’ve got to be firmly focused on the game.

“The message is not going to help you perform any better.”

McKellar said Tahs No.10 Jack Debreczeni, the 32-year-old who moved from the Brumbies last year, was a good example of someone who’d been burdened with the “next Stephen Larkham” tag as a promising young player in 2014.

“All that pressure was put on him. He had some tough times throughout his career. He has, over time, developed into now what is a very calm, steady influence. He thinks like a coach,” McKellar said.

“Jack, if he makes a mistake now, he can flush it straight away. Whereas, as a young player, he probably struggled with that. Young players do struggle with that pressure.”

In team news, Andrew Kellaway has been recalled for the Waratahs and Ollie Sapsford also returns from injury for the Brumbies.