Jock of ages: The forgotten fullback who got faster after 30 and is in line for a Wallabies recall

In-form Reds fullback Jock Campbell says he still harbours a dream to play for the Wallabies, after savouring a short – but highly dramatic – stint in the gold jersey four years ago.

And Campbell has put himself in the frame for a recall in coming weeks after a career-best season for Queensland, at an age most expect flying outside backs to be slowing up and winding down. Including Campbell.

“I turned 31 the other day, but I am running faster than I ever, which was a bit of a shock to me when I saw some of the data,” he said. “I thought getting old meant you will just naturally drop off a bit.”

Campbell will run out for the Reds against the Chiefs in the Super Rugby qualifying finals on Saturday in Hamilton, and he’s a critical part of Queensland’s hopes of ending a long-running habit of losing on the first weekend of the play-offs.

Since 2022, the Reds have been beaten in the quarter or qualifying finals every year; twice against the Crusaders and twice against the Chiefs in Hamilton.

They’re not alone. In 21 attempts since 1996, no Australian side has won a play-off game in New Zealand.

“We’ve always thought it’s achievable, but you gotta go out and do it,” Campbell said.

“The last couple of years we’ve got blitzed a bit early, and then it’s just so hard because they [Kiwi teams] are strong at set-piece, have strong kicking games and so on. So you really need a good start and just get into that arm wrestle.

“The physicality goes up a notch, and finals footy is similar to Test match footy in there’s more kicking and more intensity. Maybe the last couple of years we’ve gone in trying to play too much like the regular season – but this year we’ve developed a nice balance in our game.”

The game could potentially be Les Kiss’ last as Reds coach after three seasons. But while that motivation – along with a ticking clock for the now-experienced Reds team to win some finals together – is in the back of the players’ minds, Campbell says the main driver is to play to their potential.

“We have shown an ability to dig deep and show character, but our good and our bad it is too far apart at the moment,” he said.

Campbell has been one of the stars for the Reds in 2026, with outstanding open-field running and link play. The age-defying speed came after intensive rehab following a hamstring injury late last year, and Campbell has since tallied up the most run metres of any player in Super Rugby, averaging more than 100 metres a game. He is also in the top 10 for offloads, try assists and defenders beaten.

Throw in the mature game management of a senior pla