‘Lot of South Africans’: Max Jorgensen reflects on Wallabies debut dream in Perth
Max Jorgensen has opened up on his “nerve-racking” Wallabies debut and what his Wallaby father Peter said to him before the game.
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TEENAGE Wallabies debutant Max Jorgensen will forever remember his first international match like he was playing in South Africa.
The 19-year-old winger was thrust into the action in the 47th minute against the Springboks in Perth, where the majority of the 58,197 fans at Optus Stadium were wearing green jerseys and in heavy rain cheering on the world champions, who won 30-12.
“It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, the atmosphere was amazing, it would’ve been nice to have a couple more Aussies here, there were a lot of South Africans,” Jorgensen said.
“But it was an amazing atmosphere especially in that weather, I’m amazed that many people came out, it was pissing down but it was unreal.”
Jorgensen finally made his Test debut after being included in Eddie Jones’ World Cup squad last year only to break his leg before playing a game.
“To fall short last year at the World Cup was obviously devastating but to get my shot and finally put on the green and gold feels amazing, it’s a dream come true,” he said.
“To play against a team like South Africa, probably the best team in the world at the moment, is pretty nerve-racking, but it was good to be out there.
“It’s obviously been a while since I played footy, it’s been 14 weeks, but to get out there, it came on me quick, I don’t think I was supposed to get on that early.
“Obviously with Hunter [Paisami] going down, that got rid of the nerves, just getting on and making that first tackle, I felt [I was] in the game straight away.”
Jorgensen will now be pushing for a starting spot as the wounded Wallabies prepare for a two-match tour of Argentina that starts in a fortnight.
“I’ll take it as it goes, I just want to do what’s best for this squad and whatever’s best for the team to win these next couple of games,” he said.
“It’s tough after two losses in a row like that, obviously we just try to put it at the back of our heads and move on to the next couple of weeks in Argentina and get ahead of those games and try and win those.”
Jorgensen showed a glimpse of his promise when he made a 57th minute break out wide, taking a cross-field kick before cutting back in, only to have his chip over the top charged down by fullback Aphelele Fassi. It was the closest the Wallabies looked like to scoring a try all night.
“I was playing it as it goes, I probably should have chipped it a bit earlier to get it over his head,” Jorgensen said.
“But I felt good out there.”
Jorgensen joined his dad Peter as a Wallaby.
“He said back myself, and ‘Do what do you’,” said Jorgensen, who celebrated his debut with his family in the stands afterwards.
“It’s a special moment for me and my family.
“It sucks not to get the win on my debut, but it’s a very special night for me and my family.”
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Originally published as ‘Lot of South Africans’: Max Jorgensen reflects on Wallabies debut dream in Perth