Kuridrani up for midfield battle

Canberra:

Incumbent Wallabies outside centre Tevita Kuridrani says he’d be happy to switch positions for next month’s Tests against England if it means keeping his starting spot. Kuridrani was one of 10 Brumbies named in Michael Cheika’s 39-man training squad for the series beginning on June 11. The 25-year-old has been the Wallabies’ first-choice No.13 for the past two years but could face stiff competition from Israel Folau and Queensland Reds revelation Samu Kerevi.

Injuries to Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua, however, have given some room for movement in the backline. Cheika has flagged the possibility of moving Kuridrani to inside centre alongside Folau for a sizeable combination. “I don’t really know what his plans are,” Kuridrani said.

“I don’t really care where I move to. As long as I’m playing I’ll be happy.” Kuridrani admitted he’d never played at No.12 but had defended there.

“It’s probably exciting having that threat (of big centres) in the midfield but at the end of the day it’s up to the coach and what he wants to pick.

“I’m just trying to improve on my rugby and let the rest deal with itself.” The Fijian-born star has played every minute of every game for the Brumbies this season and said he hoped to carry that momentum into the Test series. On Thursday, he was presented with a cheque donated by former Brumbies and Wallabies hooker Marco Caputo to help Fiji recover from the damage of Cyclone Winston. Kuridrani and teammate Henry Speight have raised almost $30,000 to help rebuild their home country. Planet Rugby Planet Rugby