Rookie Wallabies star a doubt for Lions series

Waratahs speedster Max Jorgensen faces an anxious wait on the results of his ankle scans after suffering a nasty looking injury against the Hurricanes.

The winger who thwarted England with a late try during the Autumn Nations Series was helped from the field early in the Waratahs’ 12-57 loss to the Hurricanes in a Super Rugby Pacific match in Wellington on Friday evening.

Waratahs coach Dan McKellar confirmed the 20-year-old had suffered a syndesmosis, or high ankle injury. A mild strain could sideline Jorgensen for six weeks.

A severe more diagnosis could threaten his availability for the British and Irish Lions series, even though the first Test in Brisbane isn’t until July 19.

“Max looks like he’s done a syndesmosis injury, so we’ll need to get that scanned,” McKellar told journalists. “It’s unfortunate, but injuries provide opportunities for others. We’re starting to pick up a few, which is always a challenge.”

Jorgensen impressed in his maiden Test season last year. He scored a match-winning try long after the final hooter in Australia’s memorable 42-37 victory over England at Twickenham in November.

His setback is a blow to the Waratahs, who lost two other backs in the defeat, but the return of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii from a foot injury gave the coaching staff some solace.

McKellar was disappointed at the nature of the Tahs’ heavy loss after a strong start to the season.

“The game’s won and lost around the physical collision, and the Hurricanes dominated that area,” said McKellar. “We turned the ball over too much, both at the breakdown and in our set-piece, and when a team like the Hurricanes gets on a roll, they make you pay.

“They’ve got a lot of talent. They showed that tonight. It’s a harsh lesson for us.”

“We didn’t want them to go back-to-back with tries just before halftime, but they did,” he said. “Even then, we thought the scoreline didn’t reflect the contest. When we scored just after halftime to get back to 24-12, we had a chance to build momentum.

“But then we didn’t handle the yellow card [of captain and centre Joey Walton and penalty try] well, and it became an uphill battle.”