Rob Penney has downplayed the Super Rugby AU performance of Waratahs sharp-shooter Will Harrison in front of Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.
The Waratahs have started to build some genuine momentum with a dominant 28-8 win over the Western Force, with finals looming in three rounds time.
Rennie and new Wallabies defence coach Matt Taylor were in the stands on Friday at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, where the Kiwi mentor is now residing.
Australian skipper Michael Hooper, playing his 150th Super Rugby match, would have impressed while Waratahs fullback Jack Maddocks had his best game of the season.
Maddocks showed his game smarts to help set up his team’s first try, scored an intercept try for himself and was unlucky not to have a double when the TMO ruled an obstruction.
The game of five-eighth Harrison has also continued to develop, with the 21-year-old utilising Karmichael Hunt at first receiver while also backing himself to run with the ball.
His poise under pressure sets him apart, nailing five from five including a kick from the sideline, to sit at a 94 per cent success rate this Super AU season.
Goalkicking hasn’t been a strength of the Wallabies in recent years, but Penney was loathe to talk up the playmaker as a Test contender.
“There’s too many highlights individually – of course Will Harrison is one and he’s in such a difficult position,” Penney said after the match.
“There’s a number of guys that you could name.
“He’s a young 10 and he takes on that role really maturely.”
Probed further about Harrison’s goalkicking, Penney reminded rugby fans that ex-Test star Bernard Foley had been “pretty useful”.
With a bye in the final round, the Waratahs have two remaining games against the Brumbies and Melbourne and will be desperate for a win to lock in a top-three finals appearance.