The 'NRL Six' set to star at home Rugby World Cup: Where Zac Lomax will fit in league-stacked backline

It's a good thing Les Kiss knows a bit about rugby league.

All of a sudden the incoming Wallabies coach is staring at a backline absolutely stacked with NRL firepower at next year's Rugby World Cup.

Zac Lomax and Mark Nawaqanitwase on the wings?

Watch the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season with every match streaming live and on demand on the home of rugby, Stan Sport

Angus Crichton and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the centres?

Ex-Gold Coast Titans playmaker Carter Gordon at No.10.

And former Manly Sea Eagles flier Tom Wright at fullback.

READ MORE: Left-field contenders emerge for star's inevitable NRL return

READ MORE: World title stripped as defiant Opetaia stuns in 'A-plus' debut

READ MORE: Vegas carnage forces change as cavalry arrives for Dolphins

Even NSW Waratahs wonderboy Max Jorgensen - a lock to start in the back three somewhere - is the son of dual international Peter.

Kiss, of course, was a star league winger for the North Sydney Bears, Queensland and Australia before turning to a coaching career in rugby.

And history is repeating more than two decades on from the last World Cup in Australia.

In 2003, Eddie Jones fielded a backline studded with league star-power in Lote Tuqiri, Mat Rogers and Wendell Sailor.

It almost resulted in a third World Cup trophy for Australia, as Tuqiri scored the only try in a devasting 20-17 loss to Jonny Wilkinson's England in the final.

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh played in that epic match.

Waugh knows all too well the point of difference that elite league players can provide - and their marketing appeal to Australians off the field.

The big challenge for Lomax, who will play for the Western Force either on the wing or at fullback, is a comparative lack of experience in junior rugby.

His goalkicking and aerial ability will translate well but the other code-hopping guns above were all schoolboy rugby stars.

Morgan Turinui, a member of that 2003 World Cup squad, predicted it would take Lomax 12 months to feel truly comfortable with the nuances of rugby.

"The big difference with league and union that I found is in league you have times where you can switch off a little bit," Turinui said on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts.

"If you are on the wing, the ball is on the far right and you are on the left edge, you can have 30 seconds to just chill and wait for the ball.

"In union, every single play where the ball is in play is a contest. You have to be switched on. If you are switched off then you will miss your role and leave space open for the opposition that will be taken.

"It is the continuous nature of focus in union that is tough.

"The wing is as easy as it can be. You just have to learn your contact skills and runs."

Tuqiri, a brilliant winger in both codes, was Crichton's favourite player growing up. Crichton's potential Wallabies teammate Wright, meanwhile, has been aware of his talent for a long time.

"I've known Angus for a while. I've known him since he was a school footballer, like, really, really talented," Wright told Wide World of Sports.

"He's really honest with himself, he knows what he brings, and he sticks to that. He doubles down on what he's good at and obviously works really hard on areas of his game that have growth in it too. So we see his gain line carry, his ball skills, and his collision-winning in defence.

"They are the big three for him and I think he's going to translate that across to our game, and bring that in spades. I think it's going to be an awesome addition into our squad, and hopefully he's going to bring something to the World Cup."

The problem is that Crichton will have just one season of Super Rugby Pacific for the Waratahs in 2027 to stake a claim for the World Cup.

The 30-year-old will complete his NRL contract for the Sydney Roosters in 2026 before joining ex-Chooks teammates Nawaqanitawase and Suaalii in rugby.

"He would probably consider it a short runway, before the World Cup kicks off," Wright admitted.

"But he's pretty handy at football, I think we can all probably agree on that. So would I have any concerns that he would be a slow learner? Probably not, no."

Wright, 28, played five NRL games for Manly in 2018 before signing with the ACT Brumbies and forging an excellent 43-Test career with the Wallabies.

World Cup playmaker Gordon, 25, played one NRL game for the Gold Coast Titans last year before returning to rugby.

Nawaqanitawase, 25, lit up the NRL with the Roosters in 2025 and will try to do the same this year before joining Robbie Deans' Saitama Wild Knights in Japan.

And ex-NRL gun Suaalii, 22, was shortlisted as World Rugby's breakthrough player of the year for 2025.

Crichton is a close friend of former Wallabies outside back Jack Maddocks and is regularly spotted at Shute Shield club rugby games in Sydney.

He is being coached by former Wallabies supremo Michael Cheika at the Roosters this season.

"Plenty is always spoken about how much interest there is," Wright said of the so-called code wars.

"Whether it's guys re-signing for Rugby Australia because of the interest of wanting to play in front of a home World Cup, or it's guys coming across, or guys signing back from overseas. I've seen a number of guys sign from overseas competitions to come back.

"Notably Angus from rugby league. I think the interest in seeing the 2023 World Cup, and how much interest that generates, even though it was all the way over in France.

"That feeling of being able to play in front of the Lions series this year, will probably give the closest indication of how much interest there'll be, when things ramp up for the 2027 World Cup.

"I think Angus could feel that. I saw his interview where he was speaking about where he's at in his career and what he wants to achieve. His favourite player, (Tuqiri) and I think he gave a really good assessment of what he wants to achieve, by coming across and playing."

Wright said he tried to recruit Crichton to Canberra.

"He didn't want to move out of Woollahra. That's how it goes."

The Roosters list Crichton at 187cm and 102kg.

The incumbent Wallabies No.12, Len Ikitau, is listed by the Exeter Chiefs at 180cm and 90kg.

Wright agreed inside centre was Crichton's best bet in rugby.

"That would make the most sense," he said.

"It'd probably be more to learn if you were to think maybe six (blindside flanker) or eight, back row. But we're also blessed that we're talking about a guy that can play a number of these positions, brings so much to our game."

Wright is missing the start of the Brumbies season as he continues to recover from an ACL rupture suffered against the Springboks in Cape Town last year.

POSSIBLE WALLABIES BACKLINE AT 2027 WORLD CUP

Scrumhalf: Tate McDermott

Fly half: Carter Gordon

Centres: Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii

Wingers: Max Jorgensen, Mark Nawaqanitawase

Fullback: Tom Wright

Code-hopping squad members: Angus Crichton, Zac Lomax

Catch Zac Lomax's exclusive interview with Michael Atkinson on Stan Sport on Tuesday night!