Kepu joins Wallabies greats in 100 club

HE grew up in New Zealand dreaming of playing for the All Blacks, but now Sekope Kepu is about to join one of Australian rugby’s most exclusive clubs.

On Saturday Kepu will join World Cup winners George Gregan, Stephen Larkham and David Campese and former teammates Stephen Moore, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Nathan Sharpe, George Smith and Matt Giteau as just the ninth Australian to play 100 Tests for the Wallabies.

The 32-year-old will be the only prop to achieve the feat when he lines up against the All Blacks in the final Bledisloe Cup outing of 2018 at Japan’s Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.

“I feel extremely privileged because you only have to look at the centurions who have played for the Wallabies to know they are some of the legends of the game like Hall of Famer Steve Larkham,” Kepu said. “It’ll be great to play it against New Zealand — the best team in the world at the moment, with their intensity and everything that comes with it.”

Hoping to play until he’s 40, Kepu plans on adding to his highlights reel for years to come.

But, reflecting on his stellar career to date, the milestone maker said it was impossible to go past his first Test — against Italy in Padova in 2008, barely a year after breaking his collarbone and missing out on a Super Rugby contract — as his most unforgettable moment.