Wallabies set to lose Kerevi for World Cup opener, Petaia backs young gun for debut

SAINT ETIENNE – The Wallabies look set to head into their crunch first-up World Cup Test against Georgia without one of their key weapons, with Samu Kerevi in major doubt for their Saturday (Sunday, 2am AEST) opener in Paris.

If pictures tell a thousand words, his despondent look as the Wallabies made their way onto the Stade Roger Baudras on Tuesday afternoon told a story.

As Kerevi sat in the dug out with his runners on, the Wallabies trained without him.

For a man who has spent the past couple of weeks running but missed crucial contact sessions, it was a telling sign that Kerevi wouldn’t be risked after breaking his hand during the Wallabies’ 23-20 loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin on August 6.

With reporters kicked out after a 15-minute “vision opportunity”, a Wallabies spokesman later confirmed Kerevi “did some but not all the training”.

Samu Kerevi runs during an earlier Wallabies training session at Stade Roger Baudras on August 31, 2023 in Saint-Etienne. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Jones has pulled the wool over many people over the years but given Kerevi’s importance beyond the opening weekend of the World Cup, it would seem a calculated decision not to risk one of his most crucial cogs in his campaign especially against a side ranked a historic high of 11th.

One day earlier, attack assistant coach Jason Ryles had said Kerevi would “train today” and added “Eddie will make a decision after”.

Fellow assistant coach Dan Palmer was giving little away on Tuesday, saying: “He’s been on the field. The team hasn’t been named yet. But he’s been training.”

Jones will confirm his side on Thursday evening, but Kerevi’s absence, should it indeed be confirmed, will be a blow.

Lalakai Foketi, who played his first Test of the year at inside centre against France late last month, is his obvious replacement unless Jones gets creative.

Max Jorgensen passes during a rare open Wallabies training session at Stade Roger Baudras on August 31, 2023 in Saint-Etienne. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The Wallabies coach has toyed with playing Jordan Petaia at inside centre this year, believing his strength in contact and skill set could be used in a similar way to All Blacks star Jordie Barrett.

It would be a bold play, but it could also potentially allow Andrew Kellaway to shift to outside centre and Max Jorgensen the chance to debut at fullback.

While there would be several moving parts, Jones highly rates Jorgensen and the outside back spent the majority of last week training at fullback and has been seen goal kicking regularly over the past week. It’s another factor that could help his bid for selection.

Petaia gave little away on Tuesday about what he had been predominantly concentrating on at training in recent weeks, saying it has been a balance between defence and attack.

However, he did say he hoped Jorgensen, who like Petaia in 2019 was selected for his debut World Cup despite coming off the back of a major injury, would be given a chance throughout the campaign.

“I hope he does [debut],” Petaia said.

“Max is elusive, he’s a quick learner, he gets along well with the boys, so it’s easy for him to gel in and mix with the boys. He’s a good player.

“I roomed with ‘Jorgo’ in Darwin. It’s pretty familiar with his circumstance coming off the back of an injury and giving him a little bit of guidance there.

“But, obviously, he’s been smashing it, so he didn’t need too much help.”

Palmer, who saw first hand Jorgensen’s elusiveness and composure when he scored a brace of tries on debut against the his Brumbies in February, said Jorgensen had made strong progress since coming back from a 10 week knee-injury which saw the recently turned 19-year-old return to running five weeks ago.

“He’s training really well. So some really good signs,” Palmer said.

“He hasn’t missed a beat since he got into camp. Obviously, a young guy but he’s thrown himself into it and he’s been training really well.”

Palmer also said props James Slipper and Pone Fa’amausili were making steady progress.

“Slips has obviously got a little niggle with his foot but he’s coming good,” he said.

“We’ve seen him kind of progress this week. Obviously, not into full training yet but progressing well. Same story with Pone.”

Assistant coach Dan Palmer says the Wallabies are ready for their World Cup opener. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

It’s not just the Georgian pack that will test the Wallabies this weekend but the heat.

With France’s summery conditions returning after a relative cold snap late a week ago, the Wallabies will likely take to the field in Paris with the temperature expected to be around 30 degrees Celsius.

The Wallabies underplayed the heat but said they had prepared appropriately.

“We obviously had our camp in Darwin, which was a little bit warm as well,” Palmer said.

“But the most important thing for us is that we’re preparing well and we’re improving every time we go into the field. And I think we’re seeing that, so we’re seeing the group get tighter. We’re seeing ourselves adapt better under fatigue and under pressure.

“We’re about to start the World Cup, which is what we’ve been preparing for over the past few months. So, I think we’re at a pretty good point regardless of the weather.”

After an extraordinary and dramatic build up to the World Cup, Palmer said the Wallabies were ready for the tournament and said they weren’t seeing it as a “free hit” despite discarding several experienced players and having the youngest squad (26.5 years) in France.

“No, no, no. I don’t see the World Cup as a free hit,” he said.

“We’re here to impose ourselves on every team we come we come up against and I think we’re in a good position to do that. We plan on going deep into this competition.”