Teenager Jordan Petaia has quickly won the trust of his coach, writes Gavin Mairs in Oita

Michael Cheika has already managed to secure a small victory over Eddie Jones with his selection of a 19-year-old rookie at outside centre overshadowing the England head coach’s decision to field his own new-look midfield.

Jordan Petaia may be regarded as one of his country’s brightest attacking talents but Cheika’s call to hand him only his third start and first in the midfield for a match of such magnitude appeared to stun even the most seasoned Australian pundits.

Petaia became Australia’s youngest World Cup player when he made his debut against Uruguay on the left wing two weeks ago before switching to the right wing against Georgia last week and is now preferred to the vastly more experienced

James O’connor.

Tomorrow, the teenager will become the Wallabies’ youngest centre since Jason Little 30 years ago and Cheika is confident the Queensland Reds player can have a similar impact.

“We didn’t sit back and earmark this game for him to play at 13,” Cheika says. “We just watched the games and made the assessments of each player as they went along and we felt that this would be a game that would suit him.

“The guy’s been around the squad for a while now, even though he’s young, and he’s more than ready. The way his demeanour is you wouldn’t think he was picked, he was just loping around as per normal, so it’s going to be great. I trust him infinitely and that’s why he’s been chosen.”

Petaia (below) has had to overcome a battle with injuries which have restricted him to a handful of games this year. Yet Cheika has seen enough during their World Cup camp to convince him that Petaia has the ability and poise to cope with Jones’s promise that England will “defend with brutality” and act as the side’s attacking fulcrum. Standing at 6ft 3in and weighing in at almost 16st, he boasts quick feet and searing acceleration.

Will Genia, who is set to retire at the end of Australia’s World Cup campaign, is in no doubt about Petaia’s talent. “I rate Jordan very highly,” he says. “He could be one of the best players in the world, so I’ve just wanted to make him as comfortable as

I can so that he can be himself. I love seeing him express himself.”