Jordan Uelese on overcoming injuries and cancer scare for Wallabies return

After surviving a cancer scare, Melbourne hooker Jordan Uelese knows there are far worse things than being called big and ugly.

That’s how coach Eddie Jones described Uelese when including him in his first Wallabies squad, even though the mentor meant it as a compliment rather than criticism.

“Jordan Uelese is big and ugly,” Jones said.

“He looks a bit like (South African hooker) Malcolm Marx – big, tall, strong, gets hard over the ball, carries, a bit of work to do on his throwing.”

Ahead of their Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Blues in Melbourne on Saturday night, Uelese found it hard to argue with Jones’s assessment and joked he’d even shaved his beard since to avoid the ugly tag.

The 26-year-old admitted the selection was a surprise given his last of 15 Tests was in 2021, and he’d shared minutes this season with fellow Rebels rakes Alex Mafi and Anaru Rangi.

“It came as a shock – it’s been a tough couple of years being on the out but I’ve always had ambitions of making it back and this year has probably been a good year for myself,” Uelese said on Friday.

“I’ve been trying to find ways to have a point of difference and it’s only the first camp, there’s still a long season to go so I’m focused on just putting my best foot forward for the Rebels.”

Uelese was called into his first Wallabies squad in 2017 after just 28 minutes of Super Rugby and was part of their 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign.

But after two knee reconstructions, hamstring and shoulder issues as well as fears of cancer in his knee meant the Victorian product never kicked on as expected.

“I think it was not enough game time due to injuries – funnily enough I will play my 50th game and I’ve probably missed 50 as well through injuries,” he said.

“It’s really hard to keep improving your game when you’re always on the sideline and in rehab.”

The Rebels are looking to rebound from a 38-28 loss to the Fijian Drua to reclaim a place in the top eight.

He said they needed to disrupt the Blues’ setpiece and put their backs under pressure.

“We didn’t have the best game last week in terms of our work-rate but this week we’re trying to get our hands on the ball and trying to get through the front line.

“They’ve got a big forward pack and strike out in the backs as well … it’s going to be won up front.

“The first 20 minutes will be very important for us as we had a slow start last week and when you get blown out 30 points it’s hard to pull the game back.”