Making memories with his younger brother Jone in Japan isn’t the only thing that Wallabies centre Samu Kerevi has been doing - and we all saw the benefits of that last Sunday in Perth.
Forget the Giteau Law. The “Kerevi Clause” is the rare opportunity every overseas-based Aussie player would love to share in.
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Powerhouse centre Samu Kerevi is still pinching himself at the “massive blessing” that has fallen his way in the space of a few short weeks.
Playing rugby sevens at the Tokyo Olympics and a surprise recall to the Wallabies to face the All Blacks in Perth stunned him, not once but twice.
The affable Kerevi openly admits he thought he’d given up his chance to represent Australia again when he made his decision to link with Suntory in Japan after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
“After the World Cup and how selections were from overseas I didn’t know if I’d get another opportunity in the gold jersey,” Kerevi said.
Instead, the 27-year-old is contemplating the possibilities that lie ahead in The Rugby Championship, the 2023 World Cup in France and even the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nothing is guaranteed in rugby but there will always be creative minds trying their best to harness Australia’s true X-factor players abroad if a way can be found.
Against the All Blacks, Kerevi quickly reminded fans of the impact he can have with a big fending run even though the play was voided by an illegality at the ruck.
His double-involvement in the Wallabies’ first try just after half-time was something we have all been wanting to see.
After the initial Tate McDermott break, he chased hard in support and jumped into acting halfback to deal a short ball to lock Mat Philip. He was the biggest No.9 in world rugby for the next ruck too when he snapped a long pass to Folau Fainga’a so the hooker could crash over.
Passing subtleties have never been a Kerevi strong suit but in that 30-second snapshot he showed some of the skill refinements he has worked on in Japan.
Kerevi’s stats for a busy Test read 23 ball-carries, 97 running metres, four tackle busts, three offloads and 10 passes when the dust settled on the disappointing 38-21 loss in Perth.
He had as many ball-carries as outside men Len Ikitau (seven), Andrew Kellaway four) and Marika Koroibete (12) combined.
That suggests there is still a balance to reach where there are shades to the backline beyond play ending with Kerevi carting the ball hard into the defence.
Kerevi’s 34 Tests do establish him as one of the Wallabies’ most experienced midfield backs and that factor must appeal to coach Dave Rennie as he assembles so many inexperienced jigsaw pieces ahead of France 2023.
Kerevi’s reasons for heading to Suntory remain the same as when he first boarded the plane to Tokyo.
They were far more personal than just a lucrative contract. Being a big brother sealed that deal.
Elder brother Josua and younger sibling Jone both live and play in Japan as well. Kerevi’s siblings were significant factors in his original decision to leave Australia two years ago when people pondered why he’d give up a secure Wallabies’ spot and the captaincy of the improving Queensland Reds.
“My little brother (Jone) was the biggest factor in the whole thing,” Kerevi explained. “I prayed about the situation, what I needed, what my family needed and being there for him.”
Kid brother Jone was finding his way with study and rugby at Japan’s Tenri University at the time.
“I missed out on a lot of my little brother’s life while I was growing up in Australia and he was in Fiji. I wanted to be part of his growth as a man,” Kerevi said.
“I’m creating memories with them in Japan.”
Kerevi was a baby when his grandparents brought him to Brisbane in search of a better life. His two brothers stayed in Fiji with their parents.
The link with Suntory is strong because Kerevi has only been able to embark on this year’s heady ride because of the club’s backing.
“Suntory have been so supportive of me taking any opportunities because we do play a short season in Japan,” Kerevi said.
Even though the Australian men bowed out before the medal matches in sevens at the Olympics, the punt on Kerevi was a success.
When the Australians urgently needed something against Argentina in pool play, substitute Kerevi set up one try and scored another himself with a stutter-step in a painful loss.
It can’t be underestimated that playing overseas has been a finishing school of sorts for top Australian players who have returned to these shores.
James O’Connor certainly credits the growth in his abilities as a game-controller to productive time at England’s Sale Sharks.
Scrum half Nic White was another in the foreign legion of former Wallabies in England, France and Japan always urging on the team until he returned home in 2019.
The experience of playing with England’s Exeter club and finals footy has made White a far more complete package. His try and another dart and switch pass for the Tom Banks’ try were excellent in his cameo from the bench in Perth.
“Playing with Exeter I was probably playing a different style to what I was back in Canberra with the Brumbies in terms of holding onto the ball, running a lot more and different plays coming off No.9,” White explained.
Former Wallaby Kurtley Beale came back from a stint with English club Wasps with a greater appreciation of tempo control in games and what a deft kick for territory can mean at the right moment.
During The eToro Rugby Championship, we’ll also get a look at what a season in the French Top 14 has added to the make-up of lock Izack Rodda.
“It’s a lot about physicality and aggression around the breakdown in France and that was a weaker area of my game that has been improved,” Rodda said.
Whether Kerevi returns to Super Rugby in 2023 or stays on in Japan is unclear.
“I’m enjoying my time in Japan. It’s not just a decision on whether to comeback for the gold jersey. There are a lot of pieces to that question of whether to stay overseas or come back,” he said.
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Rennie has brought Kerevi back into the fold because of the new flexibility to include targeted overseas-based players with less than 60 Tests to their resume. Being in Queensland also put him on the radar in these tricky COVID times.
Kerevi remains a supporter of the Giteau Law rather than a Socceroos-style situation where the national team is filled with players gathered from all over the world.
“I’ve always been a fan of the Giteau Law so that you have your players in Australia competing for positions,” Kerevi said.
“You’ve got to give guys at home the opportunity to pull on the jersey. They work really hard to play Super Rugby.
“I think every Australian rugby player plying their trade overseas always wants to pull on that gold jersey as well and would put their hand if the call came.”
