Tane Edmed is set to be one of two specialist flyhalves Joe Schmidt will turn to as the Wallabies once again try to conquer the home of English rugby this weekend.
Regardless of the result on Saturday, it marks a stunning comeback for the 25-year-old, with a disastrous Wallaby debut in Dublin followed by a difficult Super Rugby season that saw him battle to start in Daceyville.
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Coming on the field against Ireland at the end of the 2024 Spring Tour, Edmed infamously lasted only two minutes before picking up a concussion and being forced from the field.
“Came on the field with five minutes to go, then walked off after two and a half minutes,” Edmed joked with reporters in London.
“At that time, it was devastating. I won't lie, I was pretty upset for a couple of days after. It just didn't go how I really wanted it to go at all.
“But on reflection, when I got back to Sydney, you know, I made my debut. I got my Wallabies cap. That was obviously unbelievable. I was pretty proud of myself.
“Yeah, it didn't go to plan. But, you know, I wouldn't change it now for the world. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster since.”
Edmed would eventually return to Shute Shield, being part of Eastwood’s 80-point victory over Souths before suffering yet another injury setback, ruling him out the following week against the Hunter Wildfires.
However, despite the trials and tribulations, Edmed fought his way back into the Waratahs. With promising performances during the Lions series for NSW and the AUNZ Invitational XV, he credits his mindset to get himself back into the Wallaby frame.
“I always had that belief that I could get back to this level,” Edmed added.
“For me, it was that consistency of my mindset that kind of got me through that stage. It was just every day just trying to get better.
“I approached that Shute Shield game the same as I approach a Test match. That's kind of how I was able to get through it.
“Just sticking to that mentality and sticking to what I hold true to myself, which is trying to be a team-first guy at Waratahs training, trying to prepare the boys as well as I can while improving my own game. That is the only thing that is in my control.
“My growth mindset and just controlling what I could really, really got me through what was a bit of a tough time. But perspective is a great thing, right? Like, I was still going to training with my best mates. I was still getting paid to play rugby.
“It's always fun going back to Eastwood. You know, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday night at TG Milner. There's no grip on the footies, the lights aren't great. You can't really see the ball but it's so much fun going back to playing Shute Shield and playing at Eastwood - it definitely kind of reminds you why you play the game.
“It definitely can get tough, pretty intense at this level. But at the end of the day, we're playing it because we love it.”
Edmed is set to take the field on Saturday, with the likes of Tom Lynagh left behind due to injury and James O’Connor out of the mix due to World Rugby regulations.
However, having now been part of wins against South Africa and making his starting debut against Argentina in Sydney, the five-cap Wallaby will be keeping his grounded approach, and expects to reunite a partnership with Carter Gordon that stretches back to their days in the pathway system.
“It's been good [having Gordon back],” Edmed added. “Me and Carts go back a fair bit. We've had a bit of U20 stuff together and we get along really well.
“He loves to have a kick. He loves to stick around after training. He's good for feedback. I've been trying to help him as much as I can, get him up to speed.
“He's slotted in really nicely. So it's been really good to have him in camp.”
