Penrith Panthers Player of the Year Reagan Campbell-Gillard is set to make his international debut on Friday night after being named in the starting side for Australia’s clash with France in Canberra.
Campbell-Gillard will wear jumper number 10 and becomes Kangaroos representative #819.
His Penrith teammate Josh Mansour will also make his first appearance of the World Cup campaign after being named on the wing.
“I have made it very clear that I wanted to give all players in the squad a chance to play in the green and gold through the course of the World Cup and we are very much working towards that,” said Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga.
“That will give me and the coaching staff a good opportunity to see what all of those players can do and will help to shape our squad for the remainder of the tournament.”
It will be a busy week for Mansour with his wife due to give birth to their first child tomorrow. If all goes to plan the powerhouse winger will make a dash from the hospital to the nation’s capital for Friday night’s clash.
Australia opened their World Cup campaign with an 18-4 win over England last Friday night.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.