Waratahs rookie tipped for Wallabies call-up

NSW Waratahs utility back Peter Hewat could be closing in on his dream of winning his first cap for Australia.

That’s the opinion of Waratahs and Australia A coach Ewen McKenzie who believes the improvement the Super 12 Rookie of the Year has shown this season has him knocking on Australia coach Eddie Jones’ selection door.

Although McKenzie stopped short of saying the 27-year-old Hewat should be in the Wallabies’ squad, he agreed that his match-winning performances for the Super 12 runners-up last season had deservedly earned him praise.

“Peter is definitely a player on the climb,” McKenzie said. “He has had a rapid rise up the rugby ladder and he has to be ready to step up, if and when the opportunity arises.”

Hewat, who has played on the wing and at full-back for the Waratahs, has seen his chances of a national call-up rise with injuries to Mat Rogers (knee) and Chris Latham (hamstring) this month.

Rogers has returned to Sydney early from South Africa for treatment while Latham has been selected for Saturday’s Tri-Nations Test opener despite being under an injury cloud for most of the international campaign.