The NSW Waratahs have confirmed scrumhalf Jake Gordon is set to be ruled out for the rest of the 2026 season with a ruptured Achilles.
Gordon suffered the injury during the first half of their defeat to the Western Force last weekend.
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The Wallabies incumbent attempted to sprint from a quick tap and instantly went to ground, carried off the field.
"The NSW Waratahs can confirm Jake Gordon successfully underwent surgery on a torn achilles this morning, which he suffered in our Round 16 fixture against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday," the statement said.
"The scrum-half will be sidelined for a significant period and will miss the Wallabies' upcoming Nations Championship campaign."
Western Force veteran Kurtley Beale suffered a similar in June 2024, keeping him out for close to a year.
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar sought to rally behind his scrum-half after the game, fearing the worst.
"I'm shattered for Jake," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said.
"No one cares about New South Wales and the Waratahs more than Jake, and just for him to do it in the last game of the season before the Test season's about to begin - disappointing."
"This is gut-wrenching ... poor Jake," former teammate and Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White said in commentary during the time.
Gordon was the most commonly picked scrumhalf by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, named to start on 17 occasions, including two of the British & Irish Lions Tests.
Tate McDermott is the most likely replacement, having largely been used off the bench, while Ryan Lonergan is in career best form.
Queensland Reds duo Kalani Thomas and Louis Werchon are amongst the options to replace him in the squad, with Thomas debuting at the end of 2025.
Waratahs young gun Teddy Wilson is another option after starting for Australia A, while Western Force scrumhalf Henry Robertson is out for the year after an ACL injury.
