Waratahs vs Force takes: Max Jorgensen shines, Tizzano must play Lions

Max Jorgensen was among the standouts in a crunch clash between two Aussie rivals at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. Jorgensen crossed for a double as the NSW Waratahs kept their unbeaten start to the season alive with a 34-10 win over the Western Force in Sydney.

Jorgensen kicked things off with a try in the seventh minute, and the Waratahs remained in the box seat throughout the remainder of the contest. They’re now three from three to start the season, while the Force are 2-2 after back-to-back defeats.

Max Jorgensen wins battle of the Wallaby wings

Last week, Fraser McReight versus Carlo Tizzano was the matchup of the round from an Australian point of view in Super Rugby Pacific.

This week, it was Max Jorgensen against Dylan Pietsch – a battle of the Wallaby wings. Pietsch has been the competition’s best Aussie winger to date, but there’s been so much hype surrounding Jorgensen since the youngster debuted in sky blue in round one, 2023.

Well, from practically the get-go, there was a fairly clear winner. Jorgensen had himself a night with a scintillating first-half double, including a brilliantly read intercept try during the latter stages of that 40-minute period.

Jorgensen scored the try mentioned in the passage on Creighton, with the Wallaby catching the cut-out pass before beating Force defenders to the line. That was an idyllic start for the Waratahs, but the winger’s next significant involvement was even better.

Western Force backrower Will Harris threw an ambitious pass which Jorgensen read perfectly. The 20-year-old intercepted the pass and raced about 40 metres at least to the house for a pivotal score in the context of this Australian derby.

‘Jorgo’ had a try disallowed early in the second-half after a forward pass from another Waratah, but the speedster was still able to execute a clever chip-and-chase before the referees pulled the play back.

If you watch the highlights, you’ll see a lot of Max Jorgensen.

Wallabies need to find a place for Carlo Tizzano against B&I Lions

Wallaby Fraser McReight is the best openside flanker playing the game today. It doesn’t matter whether the 26-year-old is playing for club or country, McReight is consistently a standout with an elite work rate on both sides of the ball and a regular influence at the breakdown.

But this isn’t about McReight. Not today.

Let’s give Carlo Tizzano some well-deserved props because the Western Force flanker has been sensational in Super Rugby Pacific this season, in both attack and defence, having put on some noticeable size during the off-season.

Tizzano was already leading the way with a competition-high five tries across three matches before taking the field in Sydney. The backrower crossed for doubles against both Moana Pasifika and the Queensland Reds, and was back among the action on Saturday.

After Max Jorgensen’s try early on, the Force looked to hit back during the first term and it was Tizzano was delivered that moment. Tizzano burrowed over for a pick-and-go try that extends the flanker’s season tally to six tries in just four matches.

Tizzano broke the all-time record for most tackles in a single Super Rugby match with 34 against the Brumbies in round two, and the Wallaby was once again prolific against the Waratahs with a solid-enough amount of stops on the defensive side of the ball.

McReight might be the best openside flanker playing the game today but Tizzano isn’t too far behind at all – and that’s great for Australian rugby. The issue for the Wallabies is how Joe Schmidt fits them both in the same 23 to take on the British and Irish Lions.

The Tahs are still yet to prove they’re the ‘real deal’

The Waratahs aren’t the “real deal” in Super Rugby Pacific.

At least not yet.

With slender wins at home over the Highlanders and Fijian Drua, and admittedly an improved performance against the Western Force, the Waratahs boast an impressive, unbeaten record from their three matches so far in 2025.

But are they contenders?

Former Wallaby Cameron Shepherd questioned their championship pedigree in the lead-up to the season’s fourth round. “All I know is at the moment the Waratahs aren’t showing me enough to convince me they’re the real deal in 2025,” Shepherd said on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven.

When you compare the Tahs to the likes of a full-strength Chiefs side, the Reds when they’re on song, and the way the Brumbies fought their way back against the Blues, there seems to be something different about those other sides.

The Waratahs are stacked in terms of depth, and they have a world-class coach at the helm, but to echo what Shepherd said, they haven’t quite shown enough in their three matches so far to suggest they’re genuine contenders in the race for Super Rugby Pacific glory.

Let’s not overlook the scoreline and how dominant that was in the end, but they’ve still got more left to prove.

The men from WA can be a Force in Super Rugby 

When the Force shocked the Brumbies in Canberra earlier this season, which brought an end to the team’s 5,060-day drought in the capital, the rugby world took notice. Carlo Tizzano, Ben Donaldson and Dylan Pietsch were among the standouts for a very confident team.

Coach Simon Cron has built something exciting out west, and there’s still a lot of potential and growth in this Force outfit. The men from Western Australia pushed the Reds for the full 80 last time out at Perth’s HBF Park, and they showed some promise against the Tahs.

While the wins against the Reds and Tahs continue to evade them, there’s enough there to get excited about if you consider yourself a Western Force fan. This is a team who – pun intended –  can be a real Force in Super Rugby down the track.

If they can click and continue to use weapons like Harry Potter and Reesjan Pasitoa, while Darcy Swain and Jeremy Willaims lead the way as generals in the tight five, the Force are capable of shocking teams this season, much as they did the Brumbies in round two.

The Force might not play finals this season, that said they very well might, but the future is very bright in the great city of Perth.

Waratahs’ selection bombshell proves to be a stroke of genius

Waratahs coach Dan McKellar dropped a selection bombshell this week.

After nail-biting wins over the Highlanders and Fijian Drua, McKellar made the shock call to drop Wallaby Tane Edmed in favour of club debutant Lawson Creighton. Creighton has Super Rugby experience with the Queensland Reds, but he made the move south for 2025.

It’s bold, but maybe it’s what the Tahs needed for this week at least.

For better or for worse, this was always going to be a talking point.

But, as we now know, McKellar’s selection shock proved to be a stroke of genius during the opening exchanges in this Australian derby. Without X-factor Wallabies like Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Lalakai Foketi, Creighton delivered a moment of brilliance.

Less than eight minutes into the match, Creighton made a statement by throwing a long-range, cut-out pass to Max Jorgensen who scored just inside of the right touchline. Creighton threw a double-pump to momentarily fool the defence before a moment of magic.

Five-nil Tahs. Jorgensen’s name filled the big screen at the famed Sydney sporting venue and the crowd let out a cheer to match, but in truth, it was Creighton who deserved at least some of the plaudits for that promising passage of play.

There was a bit of a spring in the step of the Waratahs in this match, and whether or not that’s down to Creighton’s influence is up for debate. The pivot did go missing for periods but also helped control the tempo, especially when captain Jake Gordon left the match injured.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Creighton retain that No.10 jumper next week.