Reece gamble pays off
Wing turned down the chance to represent Fiji at the World Cup in the hope of making the All Blacks squad
Sevu Reece, a “little magician” as All Blacks coach Ian Foster has accurately described him, was approached by the Flying Fijians to play for the country of his birth before the Rugby World Cup but decided instead to pursue his dream of playing in the black jersey.
The 22-year-old wing announced himself on the world stage when starring for the All Blacks in their 23-13 victory over the Springboks in Yokohama with a performance high on energy and creativity.
He was instrumental in setting up a try for Crusaders teammate George Bridge and was safe under the high ball as the South Africans attempted to pour the pressure on a young man who had played only three tests before this match.
Born in Nadi, Reece arrived in New Zealand as a 16-year-old and attended Hamilton Boys’ High School after winning a Pasifika scholarship. Once he arrived, there was only one international team on his mind.
“That’s a tough question,” Reece said when asked whether he might have considered representing Fiji in Japan rather than New Zealand.
“To be fair, it has always been a dream of mine to play with the All Blacks. I had conversations with the coach of the Flying Fijians [John McKee] and I showed him my plan and what I wanted to do with rugby and that was in the black jersey. I appreciated him trying to talk to me, but this was always a dream of mine, to play for the All Blacks.”
With the All Blacks pursuing a game plan based on speed and making the most of the players’ handling skills in order to break down defences, Reece is a near perfect fit.
He has X-factor but also a healthy work ethic, according to Foster, and that was seen in Super Rugby this year when Reece finished as the competition’s top try scorer.
“He’s an instinctive rugby player, I think we all know that,” Foster said. “He has capabilities to make some stuff up in the moment which he’s really good at. But that stuff means nothing on the international stage if you haven’t got the basic fundamentals of your game and have a clear understanding of what’s happening.
“He’s a smart rugby player. Don’t be fooled by the little magician stuff. He puts a lot of work into his game. He got lost a few times the other night. He’s still growing his understanding.”
Reece, who watched the early part of Fiji’s loss to Australia at Sapporo, called for the cross-kick from teammate Richie Mo’unga which allowed him to skip past his marker and send Ardie Savea rampaging forward, but was unsure whether the All Blacks first-five had seen him in so much space.
“I was calling for that kick — I didn’t think Richie was going to kick it, so yay,” he said, adding there was still plenty to improve on.
“I made some not-so-good decisions, so I have to make sure I nail that next time I get the opportunity. As wings, you have to be in the right place. It can be 50:50, should I come forward, or stay back to help out my fullback even more?
“Obviously it was my first World Cup game and first time I played the Springboks. There were a fair bit of nerves. Coming out to warm up, I could hear the crowd — the noises and stuff. I made sure that it didn’t put me off my game and prepared the way I would usually prepare for a game.
“For me, it’s just trying to be consistent every week whether you’re playing or not. Even if you’re not playing, you’re a big part of the 23 who take the field on the Saturday or whatever day it is.”
For midfielder Anton LienertBrown, the impact of Reece and Bridge on the team’s attack is based around their enthusiasm.
“The thing I love about the two fresh-faced wingers is they love playing rugby,” Lienert-Brown. “That’s all we require of them, really — get the ball and do something. That’s what they’re doing at the moment. It’s exciting for us. For them to create opportunities has been awesome for the team.”