Jordan Petaia set to start against NSW after dazzling display against Brumbies

It is not likely to take World Cup discovery Jordan Petaia long to work his way back into the Reds starting side.

Jordan Petaia is expected to come into the Reds starting line-up this week. Picture: Brendan Hertel

Even by his accelerated standards, it is not likely to take World Cup discovery Jordan Petaia long to work his way back into the Queensland Reds starting side, with the electrifying 20-year-old set to run on against NSW at the SCG on Saturday night.

Petaia was due to come off the bench against the Brumbies in Canberra as a second half replacement on Saturday, but a calf injury to winger Chris Feauai-Sautia saw him get just short of an hour, his first appearance since badly injuring his shoulder in February. Reds insiders have suggested that with Feauai-Sautia at long odds of playing against NSW, Petaia could neatly fill the gap on the wing. That might be a waste given that he is as much a creator as a finisher, although he clearly gets heavily involved no matter what number is on his back.

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Small wonder Waratahs coach Rob Penney was showing keen interest in his progress yesterday. “We have got our own stuff to worry about, but he would certainly be a bloke we have to keep an eye on,” Penney said.

Petaia coming onto the wing would spare coach Brad Thorn a tricky selection, given that his two centres against the Brumbies, Hamish Stewart and Hunter Paisami, both performed impressively.

While Irae Simone of the Brumbies and Rebels’ captain Matt Toomua remain the leading contenders for the Wallabies’ inside centre position, Stewart is building a reputation as a quiet achiever. Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, set to be released from isolation tomorrow after arriving in Australia, is certain to be an attentive spectator when Stewart comes up against the experienced Karmichael Hunt.

The Reds’ only other injury was to fullback Jock Campbell, who will have scans tomorrow on a bicep injury. Given the long rehab for serious bicep injuries, Queensland will be hoping he has done no more than a cork.

There was so much about the Reds’ performance that would have delighted Thorn, yet game management again let them down. Why, when the Brumbies had let the Reds off the hook by kicking back to them in the 79th minute, did winger Filipo Dalgunu flirt with the touchline, allowing the ACT one last lineout?

Had he come infield, the Reds could have booted into touch after two or three phases to claim their first win in Canberra since 2014. Instead, that lineout set in motion the chain of events that led to Mack Hansen’s icy penalty goal to win the match for the Brumbies 22-20 in the 83rd minute.

Hansen had just missed with his conversion of the 77th-minute Connal McEneirney try but had quickly processed what he had done wrong and was eagerly awaiting the chance to make amends. “I don’t know if it was nerves but I messed it up,” Hansen told The Australian. “(The second kick) I was pretty confident was going over.

“One of my mates, (Issak) Fines scored the winning try against NSW and hasn’t stopped talking about it so it was nice to have my own little moment.”

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar came out swinging at critics who have attacked his side for scoring all three tries against Queensland via the driving maul. “In Super Rugby AU, we have scored five tries out of 16 in four games,” McKellar said. “In Super Rugby at the start of the season we scored four maul tries out of 31 in six games.”

The last time the Brumbies were on the receiving end of such criticism, they produced their best performance of the season the following week against the Chiefs in Hamilton, all of which could spell trouble for the Melbourne Rebels at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.

Penney, meanwhile, is no more than hopeful of his captain Rob Simmons being fit to play because of his rib injury, but his major concern remains the lack of energy his side brought to their last match. “We didn’t have any emotional energy that night,” he said. “We’d had two reasonable matches against the Reds and the Brumbies but then we came into the Rebels game … I don’t know why, we were just a bit flat for some reason.”

The Western Force have moved to Coffs Harbour for their bye this weekend, with coach Tom Sampson confirming that although flanker Teven Ferris had been cleared of any serious spinal injury following the side’s Supertime loss to the Rebels on Friday, he could still be sent for further scans later this week. “We’ve got Kane Koteka fit again so we may call him over,” Sampson said.