Tuesday’s Rugby News has a happy Samu Kerevi, a possible McMahon return, Robbie Deans critical of the Poms and the Kookaburras back in their kolours.
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Kerevi Happy
After belting the living daylights out of blokes a foot shorter than himself last week, in the Japanese romp, Samu Kerevi has happily announced to the press that he thinks he has his rugby mojo back.
What’s more, Kerevi reckons that a chat from Will Genia turned his perspective around. Remember when Kerevi got pilloried in the first All Blacks game?
“He said, first get a haircut that makes you look like Grace Jones,” Kerevi unfortunately didn’t begin.
“He was saying to back myself and enjoy footy,” Kerevi really said (via the SMH). “That’s what I’ve missed in the last couple of weeks … I was putting so much pressure on myself. I just had to go out there and enjoy myself. I was happy I was able to do that.
“It doesn’t matter who is in front of us, I know what my strengths are and that’s what I play to. So if that’s ball carrying, that’s ball carrying.”
“I’m just happy to get out an 80-minute performance, I haven’t had one for a long time. I felt good out there.
“I’m really proud of the boys’ performance. We played really well in the first half and patches in the second half. There was a lot of learning in that.”
The Wallabies team against Japan was a bit of mish-mash, with Reece Hodge at flyhalf, the two Queensland Crushers at 12 and 13, Kurtley Beale at fullback, and Ned Hanigan on the teamsheet. However, despite his performance, Kerevi isn’t assured of his position – Bernard Foley (illness), Will Genia (calf) and Karmichael Hunt (neck) are all likely to be picked on the weekend.
“Whoever it is in the centres, all of us are pushing for a starting spot,” Kerevi said. “That positive competition will only drive us to be better. We all sit down and help each other out on the field and we connect really well off the field.”
If you have forgotten, the Wallabies are playing Wales.
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McMahon Come Back
Sean “Krushaa” McMahon is doing one to Japan, as everyone knows, an action which would rule him out of Wallabies contention. You have to play in Super for 7 years, earn 60 Wallabies caps, or embarrass 30 different All Blacks with a barnstorming run up the guts to be eligible for Wallabies selection if playing overseas.
Krushaa is off to Japan for TWO (2) season, approximately 1/4 of the number of All Blacks he ran past in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, which would make it very tough for him to get back to Australia in time (a la Dean Mumm pre-2015).
However, the Japanese RU are changing the Top League a bit to make it more time for the national team in the run-up to their home World Cup. They’re planning on cutting both the 2018 and 2019 seasons from 15 to 10 games, meaning that the 2018 season will end in December, while the 2019 season would be delayed to January 2020 to make room for the World Cup.
(And if you’re working this out in your head – this probably means that the Japanese season is on at the moment, but McMahon will play with the Wallabies for another month, then will get back on the field in 9 months’ time. Which makes sense, he’s about to have a kid).
“I haven’t shut the door on anything and if the opportunity is there and the club I’ve signed with and Rugby Australia talk then we’ll see what happens,” the Krushaa boomed to the Daily Telegraph.
“I’m super keen to make the most of [the next three Tests and Japan] and if I keep getting the opportunity to play in the gold I’ll be taking it with both [of my skull-crushing] hands.
“It pops into my mind [that I won’t be part of the World Cup] but I’ve made the decision that I’ve made and I’m mainly focusing on 2018 and nothing beyond that.”
Michael Cheika, possibly referencing Con Air, has also said he’ll do whatever he can to keep the Krushaa in Australia: “I’ll have to take the wheels off the plane before he flies,” he said.
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Robbie Jeans
Robbie Deans reckons that the English and their non-English coach Eddie Jones may regret not having any of their players in the Barbarians squad that faced the All Blacks.
None of the players – except one, Italian Simone Favaro – in the Barbarians were from Northern Hemisphere nations. That’s because this game was played outside the mandated 3-week international window, where clubs have to release their players for international duty. So, the Barbarians rocked up with 10 Kiwis against the All Blacks. And nearly beat them, going down 31-22.
England won’t play the All Blacks until next year, which is crazy hey. Totally crazy. Deans reckons the decision to not give English players a crack at the All Blacks may come back to haunt them.
“It’s a great shame for those England players and it was a great opportunity for them to experience the level,” said Deans, according to Fox Sports.
“So it’s been an opportunity missed because some of those 23 could have had a taste of this.
“They were all pretty much positive early on, but when it comes down to it they get into the season, injuries pick up and internationals loom, things can change.
“The initial positivity was replaced by a little resistance. The players felt a little bit of pressure that they might compromise themselves if they stepped into this.”
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True Colours
The Tuggeranong Vikings will look an awful lot like the ACT Kookaburras on the weekend because they will be wearing throwback jerseys!
The Vikings are set to take on the Queensland Counts on the weekend in the NRC final, a clash which will finally allow the Vikings to wear the white-yellow-blue-black against the dark blue Country. The Vikings were planning on wearing the original colours against the Spirit last weekend, but the yellow-black of Perth was judged to be too similar to the Kookaburras.
“It would be pretty nice to see,” Vikings coach Tim Sampson told rugby.com.au.
“We have got a meeting this morning so we will see what comes of that. We’re hoping so.”
“It’s pretty special and I think it’s well deserved,” he said.
“We have been the form team of the tournament and it is certainly beneficial to have a home semi final.
“It’s great for the players, the staff and hopefully we get really good support here on Saturday night.”
This hullabaloo about the traditional ACT colours comes in the wake of the Vikings’ full takeover of the Canberra NRC franchise. Vikings is one of many clubs in the local ACT comp – the Sean I McMahon Cup or whatever it’s called – so their takeover is akin to Sydney University or UQ taking over the Country Eagles or Brisbane City.
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