World Cup winner Mike Catt has lauded Australia’s emerging talent, saying the “big kids” rising through the ranks Down Under like Max Jorgensen and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii simply don’t exist in the Northern Hemisphere.
“You know, they’re big, big kids. 20, 21-year-olds, 22-year-olds, they’re big kids. You don’t get that in the Northern Hemisphere very often,” the Waratahs’ new attack coach told reporters on Tuesday.
“Then you’ve got your X-factor guys like Suaalii and Jorgo who are just exceptional football players.”
Catt, 53, is uniquely placed to talk about the differences in physiques between the two hemispheres.
Not only did he play 75 Tests for England, coming off the bench in England’s World Cup triumph over the Wallabies in 2003, but the South African-born inside back has developed into one of the game’s most respected attack coaches.
After operating as Stuart Lancaster’s attack coach with England, Catt arrived in Sydney late last year after World Cup campaigns with Italy and Ireland.
It was in the Emerald Isle that Catt’s reputation continued to soar, with Ireland’s intricate game plan being the envy of much of the world.
Mike Catt talks to the Waratahs. Photo: Hugo Carr/NSW Waratahs
Although it wasn’t enough to see them progress through a gripping World Cup quarter-final in 2023, Ireland had still won international respect by becoming the first nation to defeat the All Blacks on their home soil in a series for decades in 2022.
While Catt’s appointment at the Waratahs shocked many, the World Cup winner had long wanted to spend some time in Australia.
As such, it didn’t take much convincing for Catt to jump at the opportunity when Dan McKellar came knocking.
Asked what he knew of Australian rugby before arriving at Daceyville, Catt said he was excited by the style played on these shores, but he was pleasantly surprised by the cattle on the ground to work with.
“You think you know a lot until you’re in it,” he quipped.
“It’s the classic thing. I’ve always loved watching Super Rugby; the athletes that they’ve had, the way they’ve played the game has always impressed me.
“So coming out and actually experiencing it and seeing it, you’ve got some proper athletes out here. Some proper, proper athletes.
“Now, it’s just the nuances of the game. I think that, especially from a Northern Hemisphere perspective, there’s a massive influence on the detail of how you do things. Whereas here it’s a little bit looser and a little bit more free-flowing.
“So introducing and getting a really good balance between the two for me is what it’s about. But we’ve got some proper X-factor in the squad and we’ve got some big men.”
The athletes Catt is working with in Australia is starkly different to what he had on offer in Ireland.
“I think if you look at it from Ireland’s point of view, because I was there for the past bit, they are so fit and we were never the biggest team,” Catt said.
“Ireland was never the biggest team. So, what you had to do is you had to be a skillful team on the back of it.
“We put a lot of emphasis on the skill and the fitness side of it, and these guys then thrived in that ability to do that and understood the game. Incredibly good students of the game. There are no egos about them or anything like that.
“So, it was really amazing how much detail they went into, especially with the likes of [Johnny] Sexton and all these guys who wanted detail all the time. They would drive it massively and study it.
“But they were exceptionally fit just because they weren’t the biggest. And that’s why we developed the skill on the back of it.”
Mike Catt worked alongside Ireland great Johnny Sexton for years. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
It’s also why Catt believes the Wallabies stand a chance against the British and Irish Lions when they arrive in late June.
“It’s going to be a great series, whatever it is,” he said. “It always is.”
“From my personal point of view, I’m not really worried about the Lions just yet. I haven’t really had time, to be honest.
“Back in club land where you’re week in, week out, week in, week out all the time with 40-odd players, you don’t really have time to think about a Lions tour or what’s coming in the future.
“I bumped into (Lions coach Andy Farrell) Faz when Andy came over and we had a beer and a chat about it all.
“But it’s hugely exciting for the game, it’s also for some of our boys that might get an opportunity to play against them.”
Not that Farrell came away with any inside knowledge.
“Definitely not, no,” Catt responded when asked if his former boss at Ireland asked for any tips.
Mike Catt (L) said he caught up with Andy Farrell (R) earlier this year, but inside knowledge on Australian rugby was off limits. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
One of the players who has blown Catt’s mind is Jorgensen, the 20-year-old, who scored the match-winner for the Wallabies at Twickenham last November and has taken that form into this year’s Super Rugby season.
Asked if he had seen many youngsters as talented as the Waratahs’ outside back, Catt, who played alongside Jason Robinson, admitted he hadn’t.
“Not many like Jorgo, no,” he said.
“He’s exceptional. Just his skill and his pace. But he’s strong for, I’m not going to say small lad, but do you know what I mean, in terms of international rugby, (he) is. He’s phenomenal. He’s got a hell of a skill set.
“But, again, there’s so many things in his game that he needs to get better at. And that’s what we will drive.
“The kicking on the edge is something that I’ve put a hell of a lot of emphasis on because it’s so crucial.
“But firstly, we’ve got to get them the ball – and that’s what we want to do is get them the ball so they’re able to use their feet. But if not, we’ve got the kicking game.
“So that whole kicking on the edge, the whole kicking game in general in Australia, is something that I’ve really focused hard on, because it’s more about playing.”
Those skills certainly came to the fore last Saturday as the Waratahs scored from sensational chip-kicks down the tram-tracks delivered by Jorgensen and fellow winger Triston Reilly.
Now, the Waratahs’ attack is set to take on a new dimension once again with Suaalii expected to return at outside centre to take on the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday.
“Joe, he’s trained well,” confirmed Catt.
“I mean, it was a tough session this morning. He’s been good. He’s had a good four weeks off, cleared the head, cleared the mind and, yeah, he’s got all the afterburners on, mate.”
Should he be fit to play, it will be the first time Suaalii has been sighted since injuring his toe during the Waratahs’ round-one win over the Highlanders.
On that Friday evening, the Waratahs’ kick-heavy approach was criticised in certain quarters, but Catt said it simply came down to decision-making.
“You don’t just kick it and hope it goes all right,” he said.
“Again, first and foremost is the decision-making. But you’ve got to be good enough or able to actually execute the kick in the first place.”
Catt however admitted the Waratahs’ attack was still very much evolving.
“Understanding our attack, especially with the level of detail we go into, takes time,” he said.
“For the Wallabies boys coming back in (after the spring tour), they’ve probably only had six or seven weeks of it with everything else on top, so we’re aware that it’s an ongoing process.
“But I thought we made a massive shift in the game on Saturday, playing with the intent we want, being a little braver and smarter in how we play.
“We’re still developing, but the boys are responding really well. We’re playing tough at the moment, which is really good.”