Jordan Petaia tipped to rebound after debut Test dream dashed
Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper has revealed the process teenage star Jordan Petaia went through before ruling himself out of what would be his debut Test.
Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper says teenager Jordan Petaia has handled his heartbreaking injury “like a pro” and says the rookie should use his disappointment to fire when he eventually does debut for Australia.
After being named in the Wallabies team to take on Italy on Sunday morning (1am AEDT), Petaia was a shock late withdrawal after suffering a twinge in his hamstring.
The 18-year-old would have become the third youngest Wallaby in history behind Brian Ford and James O’Connor, but given he is unlikely to be risked next week against England, Petaia faces a lengthy wait.
“Like everyone else I was really pumped to see him get the game,” Hooper said.
“He woke up with awareness and when you do that you try and see if it’s manageable within a game sense but for an outside back it’s hard to do.
“He didn’t get there unfortunately but a guy of his age and his skill, bottle that feeling now and I’m sure it’ll do him good in the future.”
Petaia gingerly walked around the field watching his teammates complete their captain’s run at Stadio Euganeo, but Hooper was impressed with how he’d reacted to the prognosis of missing his Test debut.
“Like a pro, you can’t do anything, he’s been very well supported by the team,” Hooper said.
“To get ruled out that late for your debut it would be shattering but the guys have been really tight sticking around him and he will be back up for many more I’m sure of it.”
Petaia will formalise a four-year contract extension with Rugby Australia soon and given his incredible athletic gifts, it’s only a matter of time before he does represent his country.
Replacement lock Rory Arnold was also a late withdrawal from the squad after suffering a fractured eye socket at training on Thursday, replaced by Rob Simmons, but Hooper said the Wallabies have become used to late changes in 2018.
“It’s adversity, we’re up against some challenges throughout the year and it’s certainly building some resilience because these things can happen and that is part of the game we play,” Hooper said.
“It’s not a new thing at the back-end of the season. We’re building depth.”
After a year of poor results Hooper wants his players to back their skills against the 14th ranked Italians.
“Our defence has been improving so looking for that to continue to go up,” Hooper said.
‘The Italians have a really good way of playing. A nice structured way, they’ve got a good forward pack, some good carriers, particularly through their back row, really solid.
“So for our guys it’s firstly nullifying their stuff and what the Italians are going to bring to the game. Just feeling relaxed, feeling like they can bring their skillset to the parts of the field in attack.
“That’s what I would love to see from the team. We have been doing that in bits but not consistently.
“Last week we sat here and talked about consistency. It’s that - it’s momentum, it’s guys building that confidence. This part of the season is really important and guys backing their skill.”
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