Mike Catt spends hours every week preparing the Waratahs attack for its latest Super Rugby assignment. But when it comes to Max Jorgensen, his job boils down to just two words: express yourself.
After watching the NSW winger score two more outstanding tries in a comprehensive 24-point round one victory against the Reds last Friday, Catt’s mind was taken back to his days playing alongside Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll for the British and Irish Lions in 2001.
Max Jorgensen scores his second try against the RedsCredit: Getty Images
“You’ve just got to let Jorgo go,” Catt said. “You don’t manage him, you let him go and express yourself. It was the same with [Brian] O’Driscoll when I played with him for the Lions in 2001 – you just give him the ball early and let him work his magic.
“I think that’s what we’ve got to do more of. Jorgo can come off his wing, but I think if we can get him the ball in space, he’s one of the best in the world at the moment and that’s exactly what we want, so we’ve just got to get him the ball.”
Catt was a key member of England’s World Cup winning team in 2003 and was regularly shuffled between five-eighth, centre and fullback, an experience which gives him a unique insight into Jorgensen’s skill set in the back line.
Jorgensen started on the left wing against the Reds and is equally comfortable at fullback, but Catt believes the 21-year-old’s ability to insert himself anywhere on the field makes him a threat in both attack and defence.
“He has an ability to float, he can turn up anywhere,” Catt said. “Everybody’s talking about his attacking prowess, but look how good he was defensively [against the Reds].
“In the press defence that we have, he’s exceptional. He just goes and loves what he does, and it’s great to see. It’s a breath of fresh air really, to be honest.”
Catt, in his second season as the Waratahs attack coach, is looking forward to getting more out of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii this season. Suaalii played at outside-centre for the Wallabies against the Lions and on last year’s spring tour, having mostly been deployed as a fullback in his debut Super Rugby season in 2025.
Catt predicted Suaalii’s best rugby is yet to come and said he was working on helping the former Rooster find more space in the Waratahs’ attack.
“Joe obviously played 13 all the way through the autumn internationals with the Wallabies, I don’t think we saw the best out of him with the Wallabies,” Catt said.
“I’m trying to give him a little bit more space with the ball because he causes chaos as a big man … It’s just really trying to get him to understand the game a bit more. He’s still learning. People think he’s just going to turn up and play [but] he’s got a long way to go in terms of that stuff.
“Defensively, I thought he was exceptional on Friday night [against the Reds]. He did exactly what the team needed him to do … the fitter he becomes, the better he understands the game, he’s only going to get better and better and better.”
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