As Joe Schmidt declared Max Jorgensen fit and ready for a possible Test call-up against the Springboks on Saturday, the Wallabies coach revealed Will Skelton could still feature in 2024 despite not coming Down Under for the start of The Rugby Championship.
Skelton led the Wallabies to last year’s World Cup but only managed to feature in their first-up win against Georgia after suffering an injury in training ahead of their crucial two-game block against Fiji and Portugal.
In the end, the 32-year-old didn’t play another second in the World Cup but remained on French soil given he features prominently for La Rochelle in the Top 14.
Although he was never likely to feature in the three July Tests, it had been hoped that Skelton would feature against the Springboks.
But the experienced Wallaby, whose reputation has only enhanced since leaving the Waratahs in 2017, wasn’t named in Schmidt’s 36-man squad for the two home Tests against the Springboks with Marika Koroibete the only foreign-based player included.
While Schmidt reiterated that it was his preference to “favour locally-based players”, the New Zealander added it “doesn’t mean that I don’t have any conversations with overseas players”, including Skelton.
“We’ve had a few discussions, Will and I,” Schmidt said. “He’s a great fella to talk to.
“He obviously watched our games during July very closely and we had a chat about those games.
“We have chatted about him potentially being involved later in the Championship.
“It’s all quite open-ended at the moment and they’ve been really supportive of the young guys that we’ve brought in, locally based, and also willing to step in should we feel that that’s the best decision for the team.”
Joe Schmidt during a Wallabies training session at Ballymore Stadium. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Schmidt said he didn’t want to drag Skelton down if he wasn’t 100 per cent fit and ready after the French Top 14 finished in late June, but added he would come into consideration either for the second half of The Rugby Championship or Spring Tour.
“There’s also the complications of getting him back from France and then getting him back up to France because this window is complicated,” Schmidt said.
“It’s not a normal test window in the Northern Hemisphere, so it just becomes a little bit complicated from that perspective.
“As good a player as Will is with the experience he has, if he arrives here and he’s fatigued and he goes back there and he’s fatigued, and we’re trying to get him backwards and forwards, it’s not necessarily going to add the amount of value we’d like it to add.
“It may be later in the TRC that he comes in, or he may even come in when we head north for the Spring Tour.”
Will Skelton hasn’t played for the Wallabies since his inspiring performance against Georgia at Stade de France on September 09, 2023 in Paris. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
One figure who could feature in Saturday’s TRC opener against the world champions is Koroibete.
The 32-year-old flying winger, who has been based in Japan with Robbie Deans’ Wild Knights for years, had thought last year’s World Cup campaign was going to be his last in gold but decided to throw that plan out the window after the 2023 disaster.
“I had had a number of conversations with people around me, and most likely I was going to retire,” Koroibete told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Then, yeah, obviously the result that came was not what I wanted, and how I wanted to finish. So I pretty much changed my mind. I want a strong finish.”
Schmidt said Koroibete’s experience would be invaluable, especially given uncapped outside backs Corey Toole and Jorgensen were included for the first time this year.
“Marika’s been keen all year and so it’s not a sudden conversation,” Schmidt said.
“We just felt that his experience would be useful against these guys.
“At the same time, part of Marika’s job in the group is to share that experience with our guys, some of the younger guys. We’ve obviously got a younger set of back three players in this week, with Corey Toole joining us and Max Jorgensen, and even some experience outside of those new guys.”
Jorgensen’s return to the Wallabies was always a matter of when, not if, but even still his rapid return has surprised some given his injury-riddled 18 months.
The 19-year-old flyer has had a stop-start first two years in professional rugby since bagging a brace of tries against the Brumbies last year.
But after returning from a knee injury in time to make Eddie Jones’ World Cup squad, Jorgensen broke his leg on the eve of a World Cup call-up against Portugal.
Nor has his second season of Super Rugby been straight-forward, with the Waratahs outside back badly injuring his hamstring for Randwick after being left out by Darren Coleman in early May.
Jorgensen had been expected to be eased back by club rugby, but Schmidt sprung a surprise by calling on his services immediately.
“We’ve had a long-term plan with Max and Max is really well across it,” Schmidt said.
“I had a few discussions with 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 a training today across the ground. He’s definitely fully fit.
“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 program.
“On top of that, every team has their own lexicon, their own language and their own expectation, and I think it’s just easier to meld them more quickly into the Wallabies set up with him being present.”
Max Jorgensen at Wallabies training at the Stade Roger Baudras on August 31, 2023 in Saint-Etienne. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Asked whether Jorgensen was best served playing for the Wallabies given his recent setbacks, Schmidt said the youngster had given him every confidence that he was succeed if called up.
“Yeah, it’s a conundrum because you never know,” he acknowleged.
“I had a good chat to 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.”
Jorgensen is joined by fit-again prop Angus Bell, whose recovered from a third foot injury in as many years.
“Angus didn’t quite hit the speeds that Max Jorgensen did today, but he looked big and robust carrying the ball and he trained fully,” Schmidt said.
“I think it is a little bit [wait and] see how he comes through the week before considering him but he’s done everything we’ve asked of him, so far so that’s a big tick in that column.”
Meanwhile, Schmidt said he had yet to work out who would wear the No.7 jersey in the absence of Fraser McReight.
Uncapped trio Luke Reimer (Brumbies), Carlo Tizzano (Force) and Seru Uru could all feature at openside flanker if Schmidt decides against using Tom Hooper, who wore the No.7 jersey three times in 2023 under Jones, in the crucial role.
“Luke came in and trained with us in the Georgian week, so he’s familiar, and Carlo was in the hub when we had the hub trainings prior to the July series, so they’re both pretty familiar to us,” Schmidt said.
“Carlo had a massive volume during Super Rugby and did a super job for the force…
“Obviously with Liam Wright and Fraser McRight both coming out, there was a little bit of space for Seru to come in and potentially be a bit of an all-purpose player for us.
“We’re not quite sure where they fit yet.”
