Lancaster’s Wallaby dream pays off as Flyer reflects on debut

Darby Lancaster’s fate in 2024 always seemed to be a gold jersey. It was up to him which path he took.

Lancaster ended 2023 with a surge in its stock after a successful World Series campaign for the Australia Sevens.

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However, an equally strong year for the Junior Wallabies (now Australia U20) saw Superclubs become interested, forcing Lancaster to consider its options.

He soon signed with the Melbourne Rebels, but the connection with the Sevens program continued when he returned for the event in Perth.

Lancaster, who returned to the Sevens team, was placed in the Rebels team on his debut and immediately excelled.

A hat-trick against the Highlanders in his third game saw Joe Schmidt and the Australian rugby community take notice of his impressive speed and skills.

It led to Schmidt selecting Lancaster for his first Wallabies team, making his debut against Georgia, with the 21-year-old relishing the chance to play in front of a home crowd.

“I’m on top of the world. There were so many people in the audience who came to support me and I’m so grateful to be here,” he told reporters.

“That was a really special experience.”

Lancaster has the scars and black eye that prove the physical prowess of Test rugby, after he was accidentally knocked down by a Georgian attack.

As his former Sevens teammates prepared for the kick-off of their tournament late on Wednesday night, Lancaster thought deeply about his decision.

“I have so many good things to say about both programs,” said Lancaster.

“I’m devastated that I can’t be there to play, but at the same time I feel honoured to be here and play (that Test).

“It was a win-win situation, it was a tough decision to make, but to be here and get a cap is really special.”