I'm interested in when the shift became Maddocks to 10, not Hodgie, at seemingly both a Rebels and Wallaby level.
Reece played 10 vs Japan for Australia, and was pretty handy. With the strength of Rebels' midfield and outside back stocks, surely that switch would have made great sense and allowed for a Meaks/English or Naivalu combination in the centres, with Sione and Hunter providing competition.
It's almost like Hodge has decided he doesn't want to be a 10 (and who can blame him - the switch comes with a lot of responsibility, and the likes of JOC (James O'Connor) and Beale struggled with it). Cheika, having already cast aside Quade and (at least initally before reconsidering and denying him an early release) Lance then had to dou a double-take and think about who else might step up, landing on the development player right in front of his eyes - Jack Maddocks.
Just a theory. Either that, or Cheika and/or Wessels decided Reece isn't a long-term option at 10.