RUGBY’S X-FACTOR
SECRET PACT AT CENTRE OF RUGBY BID FOR GOLD
WALLABIES star Samu Kerevi has revealed why he made the agonising decision to make the Commonwealth Games his priority instead of the Rugby Championship – saying his determination to win gold for Australia, and a secret pact with teammates, could not be denied.
The 28-year-old shapes as the X-factor in John Manenti’s Sevens squad, with his bulldozing runs key to their maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal ambitions.
Kerevi’s availability, however, was up in the air due to a clash with the start of the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship campaign.
But instead of joining Dave Rennie’s squad ahead of the Wallabies’ opening fixture against Argentina next month, Kerevi has delivered on a promise made in the wake of last year’s Tokyo Olympics heartache.
“It was a tough decision in the end but I gave my word to these boys, if I was available to be back I’d be back here,” Kerevi said.
“I’m blessed enough to be in this position and get selected for these Games. I’m pretty ecstatic about that.
“It’s pretty special to be part of this group and to represent Australia. It’s something I’ll always, always remember.
“But more than just participating, we want to be here and do well and win a medal — win a gold medal. That’s our goal and the boys are working hard towards that.”
In a disappointing Olympics campaign last year, Australia only managed to win one match, defeating South Korea in the preliminary stages. It was then bounced out 19-0 by Fiji in the quarter-finals.
Despite this, Kerevi was far and away Australia’s best – surpassing even the boldest expectations of what the game-breaking centre could be capable of in the seven-a-side format.
He looms as a key figure once again, but this time joins a squad that has found its rhythm under Manenti and arrived in Birmingham as genuine medal hopes, having won the London Sevens event in May.
Still burning from the Wallabies’ brutal series defeat to England on home soil this month, Kerevi was grateful to have the opportunity to take out his frustrations
“The boys have two weeks to dwell on that loss and it’s been really tough, putting in all that hard work and then falling short in the end,” he said. “It’s still grinding me here now. To be able to put that to the side a bit and be able to focus on these Games coming up real quick, it’s a good place to be for myself.”
Kerevi can feel the optimism and confidence among the group, who kick off their campaign with pool games against Jamaica and Uganda on Friday.
“I sense it in each of the boys in the way we are preparing and I think that’s a credit to how hard these guys have worked,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been in the squad for a long time, but I know these boys from last year competing with them and they built that belief. It doesn’t come overnight. It doesn’t come with no work.”