Kiwis prop savours best form of career
WELLINGTON: Jared WaereaHargreaves reckons if there is a zone that exists for rugby league props where everything comes easily, he has found it.
Now he wants to stay there through New Zealand’s threetest series against England.
The veteran Sydney Roosters front rower will be among the first names etched into Michael Maguire’s team for the first test in Hull on Sunday.
It would be impossible to ignore WaereaHargreaves’ impact for the Sydney Roosters in his ninth season there, topped by an imposing performance in the grand final victory over Melbourne.
He then backed it up when the Kiwis stunned the Kangaroos in Auckland two weeks ago, a triumph set up by the home pack’s superiority.
The 29yearold accepts he’s in close to careerbest form with both club and country, to the point where it has become ‘‘just riding the wave’’.
‘‘[Against Australia] it felt like I was on autopilot, I was pretty happy with the performance.
‘‘To be honest, I sort of know where I’m at and keep it simple. I feel like I’ve overdone myself in the past.’’
WaereaHargreaves was the only Kiwis forward to start both of their tests this year — the 3618 loss to England in Denver and the 2624 bounceback against Australia, an improvement he says can be explained by the growing belief Maguire has instilled.
Consistency of starts has never been a hallmark of the Rotoruaborn prop in his 24test career since 2009.
In fact, he has often been accused of failing to match his club form when he pulled on the Kiwis jersey.
It is why the upset at Mount Smart Stadium meant so much, particularly as it was his first defeat of Australia in nine attempts.
‘‘I’m really happy with the way that I’m travelling, we’re travelling, but we’ve just got to work hard. I can’t get complacent now.’’ — AAP