Wallabies strike centre Samu Kerevi says it will be special for him to play against his motherland in their second Rugby World Cup pool match in Saint-Etienne on Monday.
Kerevi, one of seven players with links to Fiji in the Wallabies squad, moved to Australia when he was four years old but is still excited to line up against his birth country and face the mighty gladiators who went down 32-26 to Wales earlier in the week.
“It’s definitely special playing your home country because Fiji holds a special place in our heart,” Kerevi told RugbyPass.
“But once you put on the jersey we’re Australians and we’re excited for the challenge.”
Now with Fijian Drua included in the Super Rugby Pacific competition, the 108 kg attacker says the island nation has become even more dangerous.
“I think a big part of it is in Drua and I think (Drua coach) Mick Byrne has done a great job down there growing that grassroots level and keeping the team together because you see the combinations they have.”
“A lot of it has come from Drua and has transitioned over to the Fiji team, which has played well and you saw the result against England.”
While the 29-year-old is hungry for more game time, he was eased back into action in Australia’s opening pool match against Georgia, allowed to play only 41 minutes of game.
“I didn’t want to overload my body so they had a great plan around it and 40 minutes was part of it.”
“It was hard to stay disciplined because I felt I could keep going.”
Australia lost twice to Fiji in Sydney in 1952 and 1954 while the countries have squared off at three World Cups including the last two.
The Wallabies vs Fiji match will kick start at 3.45am (Fiji Time).
