If Max Jorgensen misses the British and Irish Lions series with the ankle injury he sustained against the Hurricanes on Saturday, Rugby Australia will have every right to feel very aggrieved.
There is a lot of debate about what actually constitutes a “hip drop” tackle, but common sense tells you that when any defender uses his own body weight to drag a player to the ground, therefore putting all the force through the ball carrier’s lower limbs, there is risk involved.
What will annoy the Waratahs is that Hurricanes No.6 Brayden Iose used the same technique on Jorgensen just two phases before the injury occurred. It was an incident waiting to happen, and rugby bosses need to get on the front foot, because it took them far too long to deal with croc rolls when they started creeping into the game.
Waratahs to face another Australian talent that got away
Moana Pasifika No.10 Patrick Pellegrini is another one who got away from Australian rugby. The 26-year-old has been in brilliant form recently, engineering wins against the Hurricanes and Crusaders. Not bad for a former Shute Shield player who left Australia to play in England’s lower level competitions before being selected for Tonga at the 2023 World Cup.
Max Jorgensen leaves the field after being injured against the Hurricanes.Credit: Stan Sport
The Sydney-born and raised playmaker has a huge boot and great footwork, and has obviously been something of a late bloomer. He left for the UK after failing to crack the Waratahs, but under the tutelage of former Wales No.10 Stephen Jones at Moana Pasifika he is lighting up the competition.
His kicking game is outstanding – he peeled off an enormous 50-22 against the Crusaders on Saturday – and he looms as a major threat to the Waratahs in the critical fixture in Auckland on Saturday afternoon.
Suaalii’s encouraging return
Despite the 57-12 loss, Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii played better against the Hurricanes than he did in the round one win against the Highlanders.
In a surefire sign of respect, the Hurricanes were aggressive in defensive against Suaalii, but that had the effect of highlighting the 21-year-old’s love of the physical contest. Instead of disappearing as the game unravelled for the Waratahs, Suaalii produced some strong defensive plays – including a great try-saving tackle on Kini Naholo.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii took his game to new heights against the Hurricanes.Credit: Getty Images
Although he shares a superb vertical leap with Israel Folau, the two really are chalk and cheese as players, and Suaalii is well suited to the No.13 jersey. He will hopefully spend the rest of the Super Rugby campaign in that jersey because he showed very good signs in Wellington and looks to have added bulk to his frame following his switch from the NRL.
Swain adds name to long list
There isn’t a more contested position in Australian rugby than the second row. Australia is blessed with a plethora of genuine big men, and most of them are entering the best years of their careers.
Darcy Swain has been excellent for the Western Force this year, and he showed his prowess as a lineout technician against the Reds. He now leads the competition alongside Nick Frost for lineout steals as he puts himself back in the conversation for the Wallabies.
In terms of his discipline, which has been an issue in the past, he still is conceding penalties at the high end of the range compared to the likes of Frost and Josh Canham, but there has been a greater maturity and consistency in his play.
Wallabies form team of the week
- Alex Hodgman (Reds)
- Billy Pollard (Brumbies)
- Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies)
- Jeremy Williams (Force)
- Darcy Swain (Force)
- Tom Hooper (Brumbies)
- Carlo Tizzano (Force) – Player of the round
- Joe Brial (Reds)
- Teddy Wilson (Waratahs)
- Tom Lynagh (Reds)
- Corey Toole (Brumbies)
- Dre Pakeho (Reds)
- Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii (Waratahs)
- Harry Potter (Force)
- Heremaia Murray (Reds)
Brumbies can’t go into their shells
One stat that stood out after the Brumbies’ narrow win against the Highlanders on Saturday was that the Brumbies produced one offload compared to 13 from the Highlanders. The home side’s strategy of suffocating the Highlanders with box kicks and set-piece pressure worked well enough for long enough to secure the win, but it won’t be enough when they go up to Brisbane in round nine after this week’s bye.
On the plus side, prop Allan Alaalatoa is definitely showing his best form since that horrible Achilles injury in 2023.
While the Highlanders do have question marks at scrum time, you have to be good enough to exploit it, and Alaalatoa was destructive on the tight-head side. He’s the clear front-runner for the Wallabies’ No.3 jersey at this stage.
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