When Rob Valetini was a schoolboy, he had a classroom task as a 12-year-old to sketch his dreams for the future.
“When I grow up I want to play for Australia in rugby.”
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They were the first words on paper. It was as simple as that.
The powerfully-framed backrower is finally living that dream after playing in all eight Tests of the Wallabies’ campaign in 2021.
Technically, he achieved his goal in 2019-20 with four cameos off the bench but even Valetini admits he was feeling his way as an incomplete Test player.
In those teasing minutes as a reserve, he only hinted at the crunching hitting power and savvy support lines as a runner that he has produced this year. The persuasive factor that everyone is now appreciating in 2021 is his big engine to repeat the efforts and not fade out of the contest.
Valetini, 23, has had to learn his lessons so he could make 114kg of Fijian muscle really count against France, the All Blacks and the Springboks this season.
He really is the embodiment of the defensive enforcer that all top Wallabies’ packs have because he just loves that part of the game.
“The opportunity to get in someone’s face and drive them backwards … there’s no better feeling,” Valetini said.
“I think everyone saw we didn’t take a backward step (against South Africa). We took it to them.”
That’s poetry to the ears of defensive coach Matt Taylor and head coach Dave Rennie, who made the switch from Harry Wilson to Valetini at No.8.
When Valetini pulverised Highlanders centre Scott Gregory with one of the front-on tackles of the season for the Brumbies in Canberra in June, you knew his time was coming.
In support, it was backing up inside winger Tom Wright for that try against the Crusaders in Christchurch or sniffing for a pass when Michael Hooper made a little burst against South Africa just before half-time on the Gold Coast.
You never want three individuals in the backrow. You want a trio greater than the parts. It’s slowly coming.
“I felt ‘Hoops’ was going to make a break so I tried to get in position for a tip off him. Training and playing together can only help in finding those combinations more,” Valetini added.
Being selected in training squads last year wasn’t making it. He had to learn to push harder at training. He had to be far more consistent.
“My training standards weren’t where they needed to be. To be honest, I was quite shocked in camp last year,” Valetini said.
“I was surviving and not pushing hard enough at training.
“I found what was missing. The intensity you must give training was one thing I definitely learnt under Dave last year. It makes your teammates better as well. It was momentum I took into this year.”
Valetini’s consistent form has really beefed up the stock of big-bodied blindside flankers and No.8s in the Wallabies’ stable. Lachie Swinton, Isi Naisarani, Rob Leota and Wilson are all imposing frames while the more streamlined Sean McMahon always plays at that size with his turf-shredding leg drive and intensity.
The Japan-based McMahon adds that extra ingredient of experience with 26 Tests behind him plus the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Valetini has jostled before for his place amongst the big boys … in the backyard.
When you have seven older brothers and two step-brothers, there was always going to be some edge to those fun pick-up games as a kid in Melbourne.
Valetini doesn’t mind admitting he was picked on in those family games of ‘Bull Rush’ when bodies were dashing from one boundary to another trying to elude the “in” person trying to tag or tackle them. “We played a lot of ‘Bull Rush’. I was the youngest and my brothers were tough on me, called me the little whinger,” Valetini recalls with a grin.
“I was bullied in a good way. You toughen up and come to a point where you handle it and give it back.
“You sort that brother stuff out yourself.”
Valetini seems to have been around for years but that’s because the buzz heralding his arrival started so early.
He was a series of snapshots of hits and hungry metres mixed in with frustrating injuries as his body went through the toughening process to perform regularly at the elite level.
Consistency is a great rugby word.
Valetini won the Brett Robinson Players’ Player of the Year award with the Brumbies this season when he started in every game. He’s just kicked off that springboard into a breakout campaign as a Wallaby.
McMahon, whose Japanese club Suntory is in off-season, is going to add to the pack as well now that Rennie has ushered him into his plans.
Typically, McMahon, 27, arrived in his first camp in four years as fit or fitter than any player in the squad.
In quarantine, he didn’t have much to do but use the weights and bike that the Wallabies had set up as a hotel room gym.
“Basically, I was living in a gym for two weeks. The day consisted of me getting up, knocking out two or three hours of training in the morning, having a little snooze and some lunch and jumping on the bike for about 10km in arvo to keep ticking over,” McMahon said with a smile.
“There’s not much to do stuck in a room that’s kind of like a glorified jail cell.”
McMahon identified himself how much competition exists in the backrow around their warrior leader Michael Hooper.
Rennie’s work to get McMahon involved is a sure pointer that he sees huge upside to his return to the Wallabies squad.
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Energy, physicality, a fierce streak and those surging, straining runs through defenders are all assets that can improve the Wallabies.
McMahon likes what he’s getting into.
“To see them bounce back against South Africa, the world champs, was fantastic,” McMahon said.
“I see how hard the boys are pushing themselves to perform on the field and also to get their bodies right off it.”
“I nearly classify myself as an old bull there are so many young faces around.”
McMahon has always done things his own way. A Wallaby at 20, he walked away at just 23 for Japan, to better support his young family and purportedly because something irked him in the previous Wallabies set-up.
“Everyone misses throwing on the gold jersey when they don’t have the chance anymore. The chance to do it again is exciting,” McMahon said.
Samu Kerevi, Quade Cooper and Izack Rodda have been hits since stepping straight into the Wallabies from overseas clubs.
Why not McMahon?
