There is plenty of exciting talent within the Australian clubs ready to step up as we head into the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season. In a new series, Rugby.com.au sits down with some of the players to watch starting with Western Force backrower Jackson Pugh.
Pugh is a great example of a young player making the most of his opportunity.
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After sporadic appearances off the bench, the Palmyra product was handed his starting debut against Chiefs, backing it up with a Player of the Match performance in their win over Moana Pasifika.
From here, Pugh was thrust into the Australia A set-up for the Pacific Nations Cup, catching the 22-year-old completely off-guard.
“‘Gilly’ called me up, I wasn’t pretty shocked because I didn’t know why he’d be calling, I’d had him at U20s and he was a really good coach but he let me know I’d be selected. Heading to Fiji (for the Pacific Nations Cup), it was just another level up,” he explained to Rugby.com.au.
“Playing with the likes of Reece Hodge and even Langi Gleeson with his rise with the Wallabies, it definitely helped me develop and it was an unreal time meeting a lot of the boys for the first time.”
Whilst he was only featured once, a 20-minute cameo against Fiji, further opportunities were to come his way after catching the eye of NPC powerhouse Auckland.
In a team stacked with Super Rugby talent and All Blacks, Pugh became a regular starter in their push to the finals.
“They reached out looking for a lock," Pugh revealed.
"I’ve played there most of my junior years but was lucky enough to play eight every game.
“I remember my first game was the Battle of the Bridge against Auckland which had a massive build-up which made it so special plus I think the quality was pretty close to Super level."
It allowed Pugh to pick the brains of superstars such as Akira Ioane and Patrick Tuipulotu, who slotted straight back into the side alongside the Force star for the finals.
Whilst they would go down to Wellington in the semis, Pugh believes the experience was invaluable for his development.
Playing with the likes of Akira Ioane, I took a lot out of how they work on their craft,” he said.
“I know now how they train and their standards so I’m definitely looking to keep myself at that standard heading forward.
"...It’s been pretty big (year). I wasn’t expecting to make that Aussie A team but I was lucky enough to get selected and then to pick up Auckland was a great experience to play with some big names in the All Blacks. It’s been a crazy year.”
The whirlwind six months has been massive for Pugh, who admitted at times has struggled with having the necessary confidence to back his ability.
New coach Simon Cron has been big in building up the backrower, making it clear competing isn't good enough as they hunt for the finals in 2023.
“I’ve been a pretty timid, young player in the Force so it’s given me the confidence I can actually make it, the confidence to back myself has been huge,” Pugh believes.
“Simon Cron coming in as coach has been big on confidence, I’ve been talking to him a lot about that aspect so I think him coming in can really help that. He’s very big on where we are mentally and that we’re here to win, not just compete.
“We’re a very young team so coming in with those foundations that we can win has been huge.
“We want to start strong against the Rebels at home as every team does, that’s all we’re focusing on at the moment. We're about 30-odd days away so it’s about taking it week-by-week. We’re not going to look too far forward, just keeping the focus on what’s ahead
