The NSW Waratahs are prepared to unleash exciting teenage Max Jorgensen onto centre stage for Friday’s clash with the Brumbies.
Not since Kurtley Beale has a schoolboy arrived in Rugby with such hype around him, seen as one of the brightest prospects of 2022 after signing straight from Joeys, the same school as Beale.
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This was recognised by an instant trip to Japan with the Australia A program, working under a plethora of Wallabies and Waratahs assistant Jason Gilmore.
Jorgensen has shown his class in the trials, showcasing his pace to get around Filipo Daugunu to score to start in the second half of their win over the Queensland Reds in Narrabri.
It’s tries like this that has assistant coach Chris Whitaker confident he can manage the step up nearly three decades on from his famous father Peter doing the same thing for Randwick.
“I remember watching him at school and when he first came in, I was thinking it is going to be a big step for him, for a school kid to be able to play Super Rugby but from week one you could see he is a different kettle of fish. He is a quality player,” he told reporters.
“He has got speed.. and just his ability to find space and put other people into space.
“Generally, you find a kid in school, who is fast, they usually just run around people and so don’t have an awareness of where space is, and how to put people into space.”
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham shut down any suggestions they were going to target the teenager, pointing to the Waratahs’ quality across the park.
“You have got to be careful you don’t target any one particular player in any opposition,” he explained.
“If you get too fixated on that you probably miss the bigger picture and other guys are running through and around you.
“We work on our systems and make sure that we’re confident working with one another. The idea is our connection and system is good enough to work on the night.”
He will unleash his own rookie sensation, handing Corey Toole his first Super Rugby appearance after his breakout 2022 campaign on the Sevens circuit.
"I've got a few of those guys across the backline and through the forward pack as well, guys with x-factor and quite dangerous with ball in hand," he said.
"We don't have anything special for Corey, he's a flyer, he's going to be out wide, he's going to be waiting for his opportunities and ideally he's going to take them.
“…I know within our system he’s going to have plenty of opportunities for him.”
