Hometown boy Valetini hungry for Lions after enforced absence

Straits Times

4 days ago

BRISBANE - Wallabies loose forward Rob Valetini said he cannot wait to get stuck into the British & Irish Lions at the weekend with his return from injury all the sweeter for the fact the second test is in his hometown of Melbourne.
In the absence of Valetini, Australia's best player for the last couple of years, the Wallabies were bullied off the park by the Lions in the first hour last Saturday before fighting back to lose the first test by eight points.
Valetini and lock Will Skelton both missed the warm-up match against Fiji and the Brisbane test with calf injuries but are fit to bring a bit more bulk to Australia's pack for Saturday's clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"There's a lot of hunger to get out there, missing the last two games was quite hard for me after playing most Wallabies tests for the last two years," the 26-year-old told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
"The Lions only come along every 12 years and I'll be almost 40 next time they come. But more than that, it's the hunger for the jersey.
"It'll be awesome, I'm Melbourne born and bred, I'll have all my family there and to play in front of them will be awesome."
Valetini dismissed the idea that Australia's lack of physicality in the first half in Brisbane means he will be carrying a huge weight on his shoulders on Saturday.
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"I don't really feel pressure or anything like that," he said.
"I feel like it's just another game of rugby, something I've been playing since I was young. I just want to go out there and do my job. Whether it's carrying or tackling, I just want to do my bit for the team."
Lions coach Andy Farrell credited his powerful back row of Jack Conan, Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne with putting the tourists firmly on the front foot in Brisbane, and Valetini said he was looking forward to getting amongst them.
"I was watching on the sidelines and all three were pretty involved, big boys and they did their jobs well," he said.
"I was eager to get on the field, but couldn't. But yeah, that's the challenge for us this week, knowing what's coming and being prepared for it."
There will also be a reunion for Valetini at the MCG when he comes up against another Melbourne-born player in Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu.
"I played through all my grades growing up with Sione, he was the guy you wanted to be in rugby in Melbourne ... and I was pretty shocked when he had to leave (Australia)," Valetini said.
"It's been a wild journey for him to be able to come back here and play for the Lions against us. It'll be pretty cool to play against him and I'll probably try and get one up on him."
Prop James Slipper, who played in the second-test victory over the Lions in Melbourne which levelled up the 2013 series, said he was delighted to have Valetini back on board.
"His size definitely helps," the 36-year-old grinned. "Nah, Bobby's a really good player, he gives a lot of boys around him a lot of confidence just the way he goes about his business." REUTERS