SUPER RUGBY AOTEAROA
Chiefs snub still rankles Crusaders flyer Sevu Reece
Two years ago, Sevu Reece’s aspirations were simple- he just wanted to play for the Chiefs.
Now a Super Rugby champion and leading tryscorer, the flying Fijian feels right at home with the Crusaders, but that clearly hasn’t always been the case.
“I call myself a Hamilton man and I’ve always seen the Chiefs as a team that I wanted to play for,” he said.
Reece and his Crusaders head north to take on the winless Chiefs on Saturday, hoping to keep their Super Rugby Aotearoa lead intact, after a shock home loss to the Hurricanes last week.
A star at Hamilton Boys High School and prolific tryscorer for Waikato, Reece seemed a perfect fit for the Chiefs, but the decisionmakers thought otherwise.
He didn’t help his cause in 2018, when he pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges and was discharged without conviction, losing a contract with Irish club Connacht as a result.
The Chiefs also passed on him, but Reece found his way into the Crusaders squad as an injury replacement for Israel Dagg and converted that opportunity into an All Black jersey at last year’s Rugby World Cup.
“It’s frustrating,” he admits. “I’d been [at the Chiefs] for a few preseasons, but sort of just didn’t get the nod or get recognised.”
That frustration now lends itself as motivation whenever Reece returns to the franchise who deemed him excess to requirements.
“I’ve always got something to prove whenever I’m back in Hamilton.”
Another Crusaders outside back is looking to replicate what Reece did 12 months ago. Will Jordan’s rise has him on track to crack the All Blacks at just 22.
“I guess it’s something you dream of as a kid, playing for the All Blacks, but like it’s still a wee way away,” he says.
Perhaps not as far as the humble Crusader thinks.