Jordan Petaia lived the dream as an LA Charger for four months. He believes it will make him a better Wallaby

He didn’t get to run a single route in the NFL, but recalled Wallabies utility Jordan Petaia says his eight-month stint in American football was a valuable experience in becoming a better athlete and learning to manage his body after an injury-plagued career.

Petaia was recalled to the Wallabies squad by coach Les Kiss last week, just over a year after returning to rugby following a stint in the US where he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Jordan Petaia signed with the LA Chargers in April, 2025 but was waived by the NFL side later that year.Getty ImagesThe 26-year-old, who made his debut for the Wallabies as a teenager at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and was a starting centre at the 2023 World Cup, decided to chase a dream of playing in the NFL and departed the Reds at the end of 2024.

Petaia joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program and after four months training as a tight end at the IMG Academy in Florida, he impressed on a scouting day and was signed by the Chargers on a three-year deal.

Petaia was in camp for several months with LA and suited up for a pre-season game, but did not get on.

But he was waived by the Chargers in August after suffering a minor hamstring injury, just days out from the season starting. Instead of joining a reserve roster, Petaia opted to return to rugby with Perpignan in France, and after one season, he recently moved to Japan to play for the Urayasu D-Rocks.

Jordan Petaia back at Wallabies training in Perth.WallabiesSpeaking in Perth before the Wallabies’ clash with the Springboks on Sunday, Petaia said he had no regrets about chasing a career in the NFL.

“I look back and smile,” he said. “I’m happy with how everything is going and where my life is at, so there are nothing but good memories. It was unfortunate how some things panned out, but overall, I’m happy with how it went.

“I definitely found myself and understood my body a lot more over there. I learned how to go about my daily life differently and watched a lot of the pros to see how they handle their business, and picked up a few things from them. It was great experiencing how different guys prepare and go about their days.”

With the NFL built around explosive power and speed, and Petaia’s position of tight end, the Queenslander bulked up from his rugby weight of 100kg to about 110kg.

“My body changed a lot over there,” Petaia said. “Coming back last year, I got back down to my playing weight for rugby. I had to run a lot less over there, whereas coming back [to rugby] you have to run a lot more. I was smashing that out last year, and it’s been humbling.”

Jordan Petaia passes the ball under pressure at the 2023 World Cup.GettyHaving grown up in professional rugby from the age of 18, Petaia endured a string of soft tissue and joint injuries over the years, which contributed to him struggling to consistently show his full potential.

It was another minor hamstring tweak that derailed the NFL adventure, but the twist is that Petaia has been injury free since, and he doesn’t see it as a coincidence.

“I’m definitely a bit older now, so I prepare as best as I can to avoid injuries,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s rugby, it’s sport, so things are going to happen. I can’t be oblivious to that [injury history], but I’m happy with my routine and the things I’ve put in place to try and prevent injuries.

“The past is in the past. I try not to look back, and if anything happens, I leave it in God’s hands.”

Petaia has played centre, fullback and wing for the Wallabies. While Kiss is unlikely to start him against the Boks given the 31-cap Wallaby admitted he’s still learning names, the coach said he was keen to have a look at Petaia this week.

Kiss coached Petaia at the Reds in 2024.

Petaia’s aerial skills would likely see him re-enter the picture on the wing, in time.

“I’ve only been here a day, so I’m trying to feel out the landscape, meet all the new coaches and learn everyone’s names,” Petaia said.

“My main focus right now is just waking up, remembering names and learning the details. I’ll worry about everything else later. I’m sure Kissy has an idea of what he sees for me, so I’m just here injecting myself every day and coming to learn.”

Petaia played his last games for the Wallabies at the ill-fated 2023 World Cup.

“That last World Cup was a while ago now, so there’s a big difference,” he said. “I see a lot of new faces and new coaching staff. I have familiarity with Kissy, which is cool, but it’s also great to see the new changes and the culture the boys are trying to bring in.”

The Australian women’s rugby side have fallen to France in a dramatic last-gasp 29-26 defeat in Aix-en-Provence on a day so loaded with chaos that the game was delayed after half-time due to a spectator bus exploding in flames behind the stadium.

In a game where aptly named English referee Holly Wood handed out five yellow cards for foul play – and one red card to a French player for making contact with the eyes of a Wallaroos player – the home side found themselves reduced to 11 players at one point in the first half.

Australia’s Siokapesi Palu Sekona on the attack during the WXV Global Series clash with France in Aix-en-Provence.Getty ImagesAlong with the permanent red card to Cloe Correa for eye contact, France had three more players binned for dangerous tackles between the 16th and 23rd minutes. One of those was upgraded to a 20-minute red card.

The Wallaroos had already dominated physically early and scored, but they duly took advantage of the four-person advantage by scoring another two tries and raced out to a 19-0 lead after 30 minutes. But the French side, having returned to 13 players, rallied and somehow scored twice before half-time.

The home crowd went from loud booing and whistling at the decisions of referee Holly Wood to joyous cheers as France somehow stayed in the contest before the break.

If there hadn’t been enough drama already, the game’s resumption after half-time was delayed by seven minutes after a shuttle bus caught fire directly behind one of two main stands at the Stade Maurice David.

A cloud of black smoke billows out of a burning shuttle bus and drifts across the field during the WXV Global Series match between France and Australia.Getty ImagesThick black smoke was seen billowing above the stadium. One Australian supporter who attended the game emailed this masthead and said when the tyres of the bus blew up “the explosions shook the whole stadium!”

When play finally resumed, the intensity picked up where it left off, and Australia scored again in the 50th minute through Piper Duck to hold a 14-point lead.

But the world No.4 France side again rallied behind a boisterous crowd. Having returned to 14 players, the hosts scored the last two tries and crashed over in the 75th minute to secure a staggering win against the Wallaroos.

It was a painful defeat for the Wallaroos, who couldn’t make the most of their varying numerical advantages and calmly manage their way home in the last half-hour of a crazy game.

Coming after a spirited performance against world No.1 England last week, the performance again showed the Wallaroos are trending upwards, but they’ll be kicking themselves for not taking the gift-wrapped opportunity to bury France.

“We put ourselves in a position to take out a win and we didn’t execute. But the positive is that we put ourselves in the position to win, but we’re disappointed and particularly on half-time, you know, when the French scored with 13 players,” Wallaroos interim coach Tim Walsh said.

“Like, that’s unacceptable. And that’s probably where the game might have been at its momentum shifting. And then, obviously, half-time, I don’t know whether you guys planned to bomb the bus, but it certainly had everything.

“The game had everything, didn’t it? It had a fantastic crowd, two fantastic teams, some running rugby, some discipline, some fireworks, and then some fire. So, yeah, it was an entertaining game.”

Walsh said the Wallaroos, who now move on to a match against Scotland next weekend, had ample talent, but the ability of the side to “manage games” was not good enough due to their lack of experience.

“If you compare how many matches a year the Wallaroos play to the French [players], it’s probably half, not from a Test match, just normal rugby,” Walsh said.

“So our ability to manage games, to upskill, to be fit, is where we’re lacking. We’re not lacking the talent.”

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.