Two of those blossoming prospects will go head-to-head on Saturday night when the Reds clash with the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium, with Queensland speedster Tim Ryan eager to stand out above Wallabies sensation Max Jorgensen.<\/p>\n
It was Jorgensen who masterminded New South Wales\u2019 36-12 triumph of the Reds in round one \u2013 scoring twice and running for 99 metres, in what has been an eye-catching launch to his campaign.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old boasts six tries this season (second in the competition), and has made more clean breaks than any Australian rugby player in 2026.<\/p>\n
Kiss stressed the kicking game of Reds five-eighth Carter Gordon would be a key to limiting Jorgensen\u2019s influence, suggesting it would take a combination of kicking away from him and pinning him deep into his own corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to make sure we keep space at a minimum for him. You give him space, and he\u2019s dangerous, so we\u2019re going to have to be strong in our defence around the edges, and if our kicking game is loose, he\u2019ll use that space very well,\u201d Kiss said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe\u2019s a dangerous proposition for sure, so we need to be very accurate with what we do with our kicking game, our chase needs to be strong, our one-on-one tackles in the middle of the field need to be strong so we can load our defence and not offer him the space he does revel in.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Kiss also backed Ryan, who was rested from last week\u2019s 34-31 defeat of the Brumbies in Canberra, to rise to the occasion of matching it with Australia\u2019s leading winger.<\/p>\n
After the 22-year-old burst out of the blocks in his 2024 debut season, scoring two hat-tricks, he was brought back to earth last year, but produced one of his most complete performances against the Highlanders two weeks ago \u2013 scoring a try, setting up another, and laying the foundation for a third through a scything run.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTimmy\u2019s in a good space for sure. Every session I see something grow out of him \u2026 I think he\u2019s just going to come out of the ground even further over the next few weeks,\u201d Kiss said.<\/p>\n The Reds will still be without Wallabies duo Hunter Paisami (lower limb) and Tom Lynagh (hamstring), while 11-Test Wallaby Josh Nasser will also start at hooker, fresh from announcing a two-year contract extension with Queensland and declaring he never entertained other offers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Queenslander through and through, with the lads we\u2019ve got here, we\u2019re brewing something pretty special,\u201d Nasser said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no real other option for me.\u201d<\/p>\n