Wallabies scrumhalf Jake Gordon feels the weight lift off his shoulders as he deals with life beyond captaining the NSW Waratahs.
Gordon will play his first game without the captaincy since 2020 on Friday against the Queensland Reds, with good mate and lock Matt Philip taking over the duties.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
The 32-year-old sat only behind Michael Hooper (65) and Phil Waugh (56) for most appearances as captain in the sky blue with 53.
Forgoing the chance to set the record this year, Gordon believes his focus must turn to continuing to perform on the field as he looks to inspire the Waratahs back into the finals.
“Probably relief, to be honest,” he told the media about his feelings around not being captain.
“I have loved it, it's been a really great opportunity to have captained your state and a proud club like New South Wales and a team that I wanted to play a game for.
“I still remember the first time Rob Penney asked me to be captain, and it was a weird and daunting feeling at the time, but one I've enjoyed.
“I really want to focus on playing well and playing well for the team and I guess being able to provide them with someone who's, you know, in a really good spot and ready to contribute.”
Gordon hands the reins to good mate Philip, with the two coming through the ranks together at Sydney Uni.
“He's super enthusiastic and he's a great leader. He ticks all the boxes to be a great captain," he said of Philip.
“I'm very close with him, maybe too close, but he’ll be someone who leads through action as a guy that is great at the fundamentals of the game.
“He's enthusiastic and wants to do it and really brings an energy to the team which is infectious to the group.”
Whilst there are still aspects of non-captaincy life Gordon is getting used to, the honour to lead for so long is something he will cherish forever.
“I was worried that I'd probably forget and run out before [Matt Philip] and that was the only worry that I was a little bit worried about. You never aspire to be captain or lead the team. It's cool when you reflect on it now," he added and smiled.
“...It's been a luxury to have heaps of people around me that I've had the opportunity to lean on throughout my career.
