Stephen Larkham reacts to two-Test Wallaby Charlie Cale's barnstorming return

The new generation of Brumbies talent was shining in Perth on Saturday night, with a couple of youngsters playing influential roles as the visitors overcame an early 0-10 deficit to win 56-24.

Starring on both sides of the ball was No. 8 Charlie Cale, who scored twice and completed all 23 of his tackle attempts.

After an injury-plagued 2025, the two-time Wallabies’ performance was welcomed by Brumbies personnel and fans alike. Captain Ryan Lonergan called Cale’s game “super dynamic” while hoping to see the 25-year-old remain healthy for the rest of the season.

Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham wasn’t surprised by Cale’s exploits, seeing the performance as a continuation of the pre-season form he showed.

“Well, he played both trials for us. In his first game, he was a little bit rusty. He’d been out of the game for a long time. I think he only played four games last year, for the whole year,” Larkham reflected post-match.

“So he’s significantly underdone in terms of match fitness and match readiness, but in his second trial against the Waratahs, he was a bit of a standout for us; he scored three tries and was really dominant with his carries through the middle of the field. We know how dangerous he is down the edges.

“Today, he just continued that form he had in that second trial against the Waratahs. Again, really good through the middle of the field, dangerous on edges, and outstanding in the lineout. He’s probably our best jumping defensive lineout jumper.

“It’s great to see, we knew there’d be a lot of potential with him. We didn’t get much out of him last year, but it’s great to see him on the park and playing so well.”

Also impressive for the Brums was 21-year-old centre Kadin Pritchard, who led the game in linebreaks and running metres. While Pritchard’s younger brother, 18-year-old Treyvon, has been making headlines for his pre-season showings for the Reds, the elder Pritchard brother made plenty of noise as his side adjusted to life without John Eales medalist Len Ikitau for the season.

“He was good, I thought in his connection out there as well, not necessarily his ball carries, but I thought his breakdown work was really good.

“He made three linebreaks, which is pretty impressive for anyone in a game of Super Rugby. Probably a little bit disappointed with how he finished those linebreaks. But that’s his first start for the Brumbies; he played a game for us last year, but first start for us, and I thought he was outstanding.”