Joe Schmidt backs teenage sensation to shine if picked for Rugby Championship opener with Springboks

Australia head coach Joe Schmidt is confident teenage sensation Max Jorgensen will do well if he is selected to represent Australia in their Rugby Championship opener against the Springboks in Brisbane on Saturday.

Jorgensen’s season has been decimated by injury which meant he only made eight appearances for the Waratahs in Super Rugby Pacific this year.

The 19-year-old, who is capable of playing on the wing and at full-back, was last in action for Sydney club Randwick in May. He shone during his maiden campaign with the Waratahs last year and caught the eye with several impressive performances for the Sydneysiders.

Jorgensen shone for the Waratahs from the start of the 2023 season and announced himself with a brace of tries on his Super Rugby Pacific debut in a losing cause against the Brumbies.

Rugby World Cup dream ruined

He continued to do shine for the Sydneysiders and his impressive form led to him being included in Australia‘s Rugby World Cup squad but he broke his leg during a training session in the build-up to the Wallabies’ Pool C match against Wales in Lyon last year.

Following that setback, he also sustained hip and hamstring injuries this year and was initially expected to return to action with Randwick pushing to be fit for U20 World Championship in South Africa last month.

However, Schmidt feels it will benefit Jorgensen to be involved in the Wallabies set-up with his speed impressing the Wallabies boss.

“We’ve had a long-term plan with Max and Max is really well across it,” Schmidt said.

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“I had a few discussions with (head coach) Stephen Hoiles at Randwick and probably the original plan was to bring him back through club rugby with Randwick, but Max is going really well.

“He was the quickest guy we had at training today across the ground. He’s definitely fully fit so I think if someone’s fully fit, whether he maybe plays or trains for club, I think he’ll get more volume of training with the Wallabies in a full-time programme.

“On top of that, every team has their own lexicon, their own language and their own expectation. I think it’s just easier to meld them more quickly into the Wallabies set up with him being present.”

Schmidt realises Jorgensen’s return faces a “conundrum” and what the best process is for him to return to action.

Good enough for Test rugby

After speaking to the Jorgensen, the coach is still confident the teenager is good enough to shine in the Test arena despite being inexperienced and his injury issues.

“Yeah, it’s a conundrum because you never know when you talk to players,” said Schmidt. “I had a good chat with Max today and he seems confident.

“He is very keen, super keen. So that keenness and confidence hopefully will be evident in the way he plays, but it’s a big Test match for him to inject himself into.”

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