Rugby Championship 2019: Jordan Uelese right back in Wallabies frame for big Springboks test

Jordan Uelese knew things had to change if he was to build on his lone taste of Test rugby. So the Wallabies hooker ‘pulled back on a lot of carbs’ to bring his burgeoning weight down.

Jordan Uelese is hoping to get the nod against the Springboks.

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Jordan Uelese made two blunt calls to become a better Wallaby because no one wants an erratic lineout thrower or a hooker wearing his favourite Sunday lunch around his waistline.

The powerfully-framed forward has dropped 5kg since last year’s knee surgery and will play at 115kg if selected to face South Africa at Ellis Park early on Sunday morning (EST).

“I had a lot of discussions with the strength-and-conditioning guys and nutritionists and definitely had to bring the weight down,” Uelese said in Johannesburg.

Jordan Uelese is hoping to get the nod against the Springboks.

“Probably, the one thing I cut down on was Sunday lunches after church, Samoan family feeds on a Sunday arvo.

“I pulled back there on a lot of carbs and a lot of meat with no vegies.”

It is a sure sign of how serious Uelese has been about earning his first taste of Test rugby in the two years since his promising cameo off the bench against the Springboks in Perth.

“Obviously, it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride. It’s really great to be back in the thick of things in camp again because it’s something I didn’t feel I’d be back in,” Uelese, 22, said.

The young Melbourne Rebels hooker only made his comeback late in the Super Rugby season after an infection extended his time out after major knee surgery.

His excitement is what the whole squad is feeling about getting World Cup year rolling with the right momentum.

“Coming here to Joburg and playing at altitude, especially at a hostile Ellis Park, is going to be tough considering they come with a lot of brute and play with a lot of force,” Uelese said of the Boks.

“But that’s what we live for. That’s why we play Test footy for games like these.”

Jordan Uelese faces the Barbarians at Allianz Stadiunm in 2017.

He wasn’t idle when grounded and will hopefully show key improvements because his Test debut might have included some strong charges but also a wonky lineout throw.

“Look, a major thing I needed to work on was my throwing because it was something that was holding me back a bit,” Uelese said.

“Just having those 11 months off gave me time to strip back and work on my body and my skills.”

Even before he could run properly again, Uelese was heaving medicine balls at physios and doing bike work so he got a footy in his hands when he was fatigued like a thrower in the 70th minute of a Test.

“When you have so much time on your hands, you definitely have no excuses coming back,” Uelese said.

“As a hooker you’ve got to be good at your set piece and that’s something I’ve worked really hard on with (lineout technician) Geoff Parling at the Rebels as well as (Wallabies skills coach) Mick Byrne who has helped me with my throwing.”

Jordan Uelese has also been working hard on his lineout throwing.

Former English Test lock Parling was a noted lineout exponent and any wisdom absorbed by Uelese will be invaluable when the heat comes on.

It always does and it’s how you react as we saw with young Wallaby hooker Folau Faingaa in the Brumbies-Jaguares semi-final in Buenos Aires.

He may have been the season’s form hooker but shrugging with his hands apart, as if not knowing where to safely throw the ball, was not reassuring moments before a fifth lineout was lost inside 25 minutes.

What the Wallabies get from their hooker-throwers Uelese, Faingaa and a much fitter Tolu Latu is all important before veteran Tatafu Polota-Nau rejoins the picture after recovering from minor ankle surgery.

“It’s really good to be coming back with the confidence that you know you’ve done the work and can put everything out there,” Uelese said.