Rugby
Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.au 65d

Wallabies forced into changes for second Test against Pumas

Rugby

Former schoolboy star Max Jorgensen has been handed his first run-on Test start, after injury forced Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt into three separate changes for the second Test against the Pumas.

Jorgensen will start on the right wing with Andrew Kellaway having shifted to fullback following an injury to Tom Wright.

Meanwhile, Noah Lolesio will also miss the Sante Fe clash, with Ben Donaldson named for his second start of the season.

Jeremy Williams completes the changes with the Force lock replacing Lukhan Salakai-Loto, who has also been cut down by injury.

"Lukhan got a stinger and so had a limited range of movement in his shoulder, he's coming right, he did a lot of the training today, just not the contact," Schmidt explained. "So he's moving pretty well.

"Tom Wright, he trained outside the team today, but was moving pretty well, is was an ankle injury. He did it inside the first 10 minutes of the Test match, so he really battled through; didn't pick up too many high-speed metres, was struggling a little bit, he fought his way through really well.

"And Noah, just before he was replaced he got caught awkwardly and he's just uncomfortable through the shoulder blades quite high, and is still stiff through there. Again, he ran okay today but he's not doing contact at the moment and if you're playing Argentina and don't do contact you'll come second."

But it is the first run-on appearance for Jorgensen, who only turned 20 earlier this week, that will garner much of the attention.

The Waratahs flyer has made two Test appearances off the bench to date, but both games were played amid appalling conditions which only afforded the youngster sparing chances with ball in hand.

One of those came in last week's 20-19 victory over the Pumas in La Plata, but Jorgensen was unable to catch a pass from Lolesio following a counter attack from the Wallabies No. 10.

Conditions are set to be far more conducive to running rugby this weekend however.

"Max has built his way in, he's had a couple of runs off the bench, which is ideal for him to gain a bit of confidence and for us to know a little bit more about him," Schmidt said of Jorgensen.

"When he picked that ball up in space from the cross kick from Tom Wright [against the Springboks in Perth] and accelerated, it's not very often that [Makazole] Mapimpi is left grasping, and that's the acceleration and the footwork that he's got. 

"He didn't quite hold onto a ball that was promising from Noah at the weekend up the right-hand touch, but [he] got some great pressure on the kicker which allowed us to have a lineout on the 22, which is where we launched the last attack from which ultimately gave us the opportunity to win the game.

So Max, he's working really well off the ball, which was part of what we wanted him to work on, because once he's on the ball he's an exciting young rugby player."

Elsewhere, Josh Canham is in line to make his Test debut after he was named among the replacements alongside the returning James Slipper and Reds playmaker Tom Lynagh.

Canham was a controversial omission from the Wallabies 37-man squad that was named in June, but the lock now gets his opportunity after going away and working on the deficiencies in his game.

Slipper, meanwhile, will equal George Gregan's record of 139 Wallabies Tests when he is introduced off the bench.

"It's a tremendous achievement for James to equal the record of the most capped Wallaby," Schmidt said of Slipper. "He's the ultimate team man and I know the whole group will do everything they can to make it a memorable milestone."

AUSTRALIA: Andrew Kellaway, Max Jorgensen, Len Ikitau, Hamish Stewart, Marika Koroibete, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon; Harry Wilson, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Matt Faessler, Angus Bell. Replacements: Josh Nasser, James Slipper, Allan Alaalatoa, Josh Canham, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Tom Lynagh, Josh Flook 

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