Australians playing in Europe and Japan?

[TheBigDog]

There is an outside back playing for Stade Francais at the moment called Alex Rokobaro. I believe he's listed as Fijian but I know he did all his schooling in Australia, playing junior footy in Brisbane then was with the Tahs academy and Sydney Uni and also the Rebels I believe after that. Not sure about his movements in the future but he's quite a talent and i'm sure will be kicking around the professional scene for a while.

 

[Chauncey]

Nemani Nadolo
Tearing it up for Exeter.
I could never understand how a guy with his size, step and pace could not even crack a game with the Waratahs.
118kg, 193 cm and at just 23 years of age would only have got better with more game time. It's not as if Australian rugby has an abundance of big, straight running backs able to break the line and set up others by taking
2 or 3 opposition players on at the same time.

A real shame that he was not given a go here.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

I am sorry but you lads might be to young to remember but Tasi achieved everything that quirk has maybeeven more He has a premier grade premiership, junior world cup title he was an excellent player for wests back when they won the premiership in 06 and was a top performer in terrible West sides right up to last year. You cant judge him on the fact he didnt play well in a terrible reds team. If you did you would right off barnes,cooper, lucas and higginbotham who were all considered average untill the reds revolution. Quirk is by no means a bad player but we can't say oh he is good the reason we haven't seen it is because he is young." becaus ethen the same would apply to Tasi. Quirk can come back when he can score two tries in 10 minutes and anyone who rights the feat off is stupid because its a talent even an instinct to know where to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[TheBigDog]

Nemani Nadolo
Tearing it up for Exeter.
I could never understand how a guy with his size, step and pace could not even crack a game with the Waratahs.
118kg, 193 cm and at just 23 years of age would only have got better with more game time. It's not as if Australian rugby has an abundance of big, straight running backs able to break the line and set up others by taking
2 or 3 opposition players on at the same time.

A real shame that he was not given a go here.

Nems had some discipline and weight issues after school from what i've heard. Hence why he was bouncing around several Super Rugby and even club teams for a number of years. He is no doubt a real talent and I think a few years playing overseas will give him the level head needed to make it over here. Wouldn't be suprised to see him back playing in Aus at some stage, although he has had 1 or 2 caps for Fiji in the last few years so technically he's not Australian anymore.

 

[Slim 293]

Nemani Nadolo
Tearing it up for Exeter.
I could never understand how a guy with his size, step and pace could not even crack a game with the Waratahs.
118kg, 193 cm and at just 23 years of age would only have got better with more game time. It's not as if Australian rugby has an abundance of big, straight running backs able to break the line and set up others by taking
2 or 3 opposition players on at the same time.

A real shame that he was not given a go here.

I don't know about that...

 

[Lee Grant]

Nemani Nadolo
Tearing it up for Exeter.
I could never understand how a guy with his size, step and pace could not even crack a game with the Waratahs.

You're a bit out of date Chauncey: that was last season: at the beginning of calendar 2011, IIRR. In 2011/12 he played in Japan in a comp where the level of rugby was one where he could make his mark.

Nadolo, as he is now known, was sensational playing for Manly in the Sydney comp a few years back and got in the Tahs squad. They didn't use him in a Super game because of his lack of footie nous.

He went to Borguin, who let him go, and then showed up in Exeter. He had a couple of good games for them, once punting the ball and regathering it at full pace, which surprised the hell out of me, but he didn't stay there long because he was done for DUI after playing a handful of games.

Exeter weren't that impressed, except for a few moments of typical bulldozing play, and also let him go. He ended up in Japan where he did very well by all accounts.

Back in the day, before he got a Tahs contract, I wrote the same glowing things about him as you just did and hoped that he would kick on, but even at the Tahs practice sessions you could see that he wasn't going to make it.

A great pity as the raw material was there.
.

 

[tigerland12]

I am sorry but you lads might be to young to remember but Tasi achieved everything that quirk has maybeeven more He has a premier grade premiership, junior world cup title he was an excellent player for wests back when they won the premiership in 06 and was a top performer in terrible West sides right up to last year. You cant judge him on the fact he didnt play well in a terrible reds team. If you did you would right off barnes,cooper, lucas and higginbotham who were all considered average untill the reds revolution. Quirk is by no means a bad player but we can't say oh he is good the reason we haven't seen it is because he is young." becaus ethen the same would apply to Tasi. Quirk can come back when he can score two tries in 10 minutes and anyone who rights the feat off is stupid because its a talent even an instinct to know where to be in the right place at the right time.

To put it in perspective, if Luafutu is as good as you think he is, why did he have to move overseas to get a contract AND why did he only manage a handful of games in a struggling QLD side?

 

[thierry dusautoir]

Alot of the time he was behind established players like Croft,Baid,Mcmeniman & John Roe. When the reds changed coaches alot of players went from being first choices to nothing happened between Eddie Jones >> Phil Mooney >> Ewen Mckenzie. Coaches have different tastes but i wouldn't use the overseas argument to stand on Tasi has made himself eligible for Samoa and went to camps with them all last year so liek Rota Setu probably not an ideal candidate for an Overseas spot.

Also didn't you not say a few weeks ago something about Matt Brandon deserving a super 15 contract, the same Matt Brandon who first played professional overseas........

 

[spectator]

Tasi had a few memorable moments with the struggling Reds so shouldn't be bagged. Hope he does well OS. Quirky needs a few more rgular starts with the Reds before we can talk him up too much more. I wish that would happen, I'm a big fan!