The Waratahs will welcome back breakout Test winger Mark Nawaqanitawase when they head to country NSW for the final trial match before the Super Rugby kick-off on Saturday.
Nawaqanitawase will be joined by fellow returning Test stars Lalakai Foketi, Izaia Perese and Jake Gordon when the Waratahs play the Reds for the Santos Cup in Narrabri.
Mark Nawaqanitawase made his Test debut last year and will play his first game for NSW this year in Saturday’s trial in Narrabri.Credit:Getty
He will be a welcome boost for the NSW back line after Dylan Pietsch picked up a hamstring strain in the opening minutes of the side’s 31-26 loss to the Brumbies as new Australia coach Eddie Jones watched on in Griffith at the weekend.
Pietsch, who was awarded the Chris Whitaker Aspiring Waratah Medal for a standout 2022 season, is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines and could miss the first four rounds of Super Rugby. The young winger was having scans on the leg on Sunday.
The blow came as Waratahs coach Darren Coleman revealed Wallabies forwards Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway, Angus Bell and Dave Porecki would miss the Reds trial under a resting agreement struck between NSW Rugby and Rugby Australia in the lead-in to this year’s World Cup.
Outside those big names, Coleman confirmed he and Queensland coach Brad Thorn had agreed to name their strongest sides to start the Narrabri trial and give them 50 to 60 minutes before rotating in new players from extended 28-man match day squads.
‘Emotional’: Lachie Swinton returned for the Waratahs after a year-long injury lay-off.Credit:Waratahs Media/ Julius Dimataga
The Waratahs will be looking to improve on their loss to the Brumbies, against whom they open their season on February 24 at Allianz Stadium.
Coleman gave the effort a “pass mark”, noting the strong return of abrasive back rower Lachie Swinton and returned hooker Tolu Latu, who came off the bench and scored for NSW.
“[Swinton] hasn’t played since round one of last year when he crushed a nerve in his shoulder so it was a really big event for Lachie, he was quite emotional,” Coleman said. “He’s had a really tough 12 months not knowing if he would ever play again – it was career-threatening at the time – so to see him back out on the field. For a guy who hadn’t played for 12 months he had some positive and physical involvement.”
The Waratahs went into the sheds with the scores locked 12-12 at halftime but changed 14 of their players for the second half. The Stephen Larkham-coach Brumbies scored two quick tries after the resumption of play and held off NSW to claim the win.
Coleman said Latu and winger Nemani Nadolo, who started for NSW, both noted the uptick in pace of Super Rugby compared with the European competitions they played in last year.
The squad is also getting used to its bigger, bulkier style of play after Coleman made it clear he wanted power to be the hallmark of the NSW style in 2023. Openside Charlie Gamble and No.8 Will Harris have both piled on the kilograms over the off season, and Coleman said he could see it on the field.
“There were some really good snippets of physicality and defence,” he said. “Ned Hanigan was really strong, Will Harris is eight kilos heavier than what he played at last year and he had some big contacts in defence. Against a team like the Brumbies who thrive on collision, I thought we at least held our own in that aspect.”
Watch all the action from the Six Nations with every match streaming ad-free, live and exclusive on Stan Sport.
