ARU looking to draft Kane Douglas into Wallabies’ squad from his Irish club Leinster

A BOLD Australian Rugby Union request to free Kane Douglas from his Irish club duties has been made to add a powerful wildcard to the Wallabies’ World Cup plans.

A BOLD Australian Rugby Union request to free Kane Douglas from his Irish club duties has been made to add a powerful wildcard to the Wallabies’ World Cup plans.

The Courier-Mail can exclusively reveal the first official moves have been made to get a clearance for the former NSW Waratahs lock to be involved in squad training next month.

It is believed the ARU has sought Douglas’s release under World Rugby’s Regulation 9 to cover the two Bledisloe Cup Tests next month and the World Cup in September-October.

Wallabies boss Michael Cheika has long expressed his desire to find a way to harness the hard-nosed, reliable authority of the 2.02m Douglas since last year’s move to Dublin.

It has always been part frustration for Cheika who saw his Super Rugby-winning forward of last year sign for Irish club Leinster when he thought more should have been done to keep him.

In his most recent interview a fortnight ago with website Sporple, Douglas praised Cheika’s influence.

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“Cheik was really good for me in the past couple of years, trying to get that angry side out of me, he was an awesome coach,” Douglas said.

Douglas, 26, is in his prime in a position which is one of the Wallabies greatest concerns.

Regulation 9 requires clubs to release selected players to play for their country during approved Test windows.

Getting Douglas back from overseas would be a convenient, rule-tweaking first because his 14 Tests are a long way short of the 60-Test threshold recently set by the ARU.

Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell are both back from French club Toulon under the 60-Test rule and will start training today with the Wallabies train-on squad at Kawana on the Sunshine Coast.

Rob Simmons, Will Skelton, James Horwill, uncapped giant Rory Arnold, Dean Mumm and Dave Dennis are the other locks entering camp while Sam Carter is on the injured list.

Winger Nick Cummins has won a late call-up for this week’s camp with Henry Speight granted compassionate leave for three weeks to return to Fiji following the death of his grandfather.

Douglas has been sidelined since surgery in April to repair a disc issue in his back.

A source said Douglas “felt like a new man three days after surgery” and is on track for a return to contact training next month.

It’s a life-changing time for Douglas.

On Instagram from Dublin overnight, he announced his engagement to partner Jennarly and that they were expecting their first child.

“Locked up and knocked up. So happy to announce we are expecting and that the love of my life said yes. #double whammy,” he wrote.

Even if his involvement next month is only to get up to speed with calls, game strategies and a return to contact work, it would advance him for a possible World Cup call-up.