Patient Samu gets his time in the sun
FORMER Wallaby Digby Ioane has chided coach Michael Cheika for taking years too long to act on the explosive potential of his new Test backrow contender Pete Samu.
Samu’s head is still spinning at the sudden squad callup that has rushed him from the champion Crusaders back row into contention for a gold Test jersey on Saturday night.
He is in a crush of candidates, with converted lock Lukhan Tui and power-running Caleb Timu, to grab one back-row starting spot and a super-sub role against Ireland at Suncorp Stadium.
Samu, 26, has not done a media interview in three seasons with the Crusaders so he was taken aback by yesterday’s fuss on top of his rapid promotion.
“I’m still coming to terms with it actually … it’s always the dream to represent your country,” the Melbourneborn Samu said.
Samu became a rugby itinerant after finishing school in Melbourne in 2010. At 19, he played nine games for Brisbane club Sunnybank in 2011 when he spent the finals time in reserve grade behind Reds backrowers Liam Gill and Jake Schatz.
Then Australian Sevens coach Michael O’Connor revealed he was “on the radar” after Sunnybank upset the Australian side to win the Central Coast Sevens that season.
He flipped to Sydney club Randwick, England’s lower leagues and dabbled with Cheika’s wider training group at the NSW Waratahs in 2013 without a contract nibble.
He was a lodger at Ioane’s Mt Gravatt home in 2011 when the Wallaby welcomed Samoan talents from Melbourne.
“So happy to see #Samu making the Wallabies. It’s a real shame tho Michael Cheika didn’t see Peter Samu potential when he was playing in Australia. #Grassroots,”
Ioane tweeted.
Ioane should perhaps be lauding Samu’s perseverance to work harder for the honour that has finally come his way.
Finishing school in New Zealand for five seasons with Tasman and the Crusaders has polished his raw dynamism and skills because, O’Connor said, “he’s always had excellent game awareness’’.
The 198cm Tui is fit at a streamlined 117kg and his clout for the back-row, with the bonus of lineout leaping, is an influential point of difference for selection.