Petaia at centre turns out to be excellent bet

RUGBY UNION JORDAN Petaia has been a future Wallabies star in the mind of Samu Kerevi ever since the Reds skipper bet him $10 he would make the staggering rise in 10 months.

The duo are now partners and the Reds may just have found their most potent centre pairing since Tim Horan and Daniel Herbert 20 years ago.

It’s too early for such hyperbole, of course, yet when can anyone remember a Queensland centre pairing causing the havoc they did in Dunedin last Friday night?

The yin and yang of the best centre pairings was obvious.

Kerevi stepped and steamrolled. Petaia’s body shakes, change of pace, nose to take a gap in a 148m running game and deft passing were perfectly complementary.

When you added Kerevi’s sharp pass in the first try and Petaia’s thumping tackle on All Blacks flanker Shannon Frizell they were also doing things you don’t always expect.

“No fear … that’s Jordie,” Kerevi said.

“When I saw him for the first time in pre-season at the Reds last year at 17, I made a $10 bet with him that he’d go on the Wallabies’ spring tour.

“He did and he hasn’t paid up but he did shout me some good meals on that tour.”

The new partnership will get a thorough test on Saturday night when All Blacks centre Jack Goodhue opposes Petaia at Suncorp Stadium for the champion Crusaders.

It was put to former Wallabies centre-turned-analyst Morgan Turinui on Fox Sports that we shouldn’t get carried away with Dunedin when Petaia is only 18.

“Nah, let’s talk him up,” Turinui said.

“This was a complete commanding performance by a quality No.13 underlining this kid is a talent.”

The Reds-Crusaders clash could be one of the best at Suncorp Stadium this season.

Reds fans will get their first chance to don their new maroon wardrobe to support the switch in jersey colour from red.