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Sydney Morning Herald
42 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Take it to them head on': Veteran's advice to Wallabies after almost shocking Lions
Kefu said the week was a joyous one of bringing many cultures together, and understanding the different – and shared – backgrounds. But he also said the team had been motivated by the treatment of Samu, who was selected for the team and trained early on, but had to withdraw after the Lions used their veto power to oppose him playing. The agreement struck between RA and the Lions was Super Rugby players would be used in the FNP squad, and the Lions argued Samu didn't qualify given he has just returned from Bordeaux. RA argued Samu qualified given he has since joined the Waratahs. Samu, who has Tongan heritage and was raised in Melbourne, stayed with the squad and ran water last night at Marvel. A section of the crowd had Samu face masks. 'Pete was originally down to play number eight and he'd already trained a few sessions with us, so to see the way he was displaced, I think was pretty poor,' Kefu said. 'Pete was fantastic, he got on with it, he was keen to hang around and help the boys prepare and the boys really felt for him.' Kefu said Samu would have a big difference to the strength of the FNP side. 'The young kid (Tuaina Taii Tualima) that took his spot, he's got a big future, but Pete Samu is an experienced campaigner,' Kefu said. 'He's hungry and motivated to get back into the Wallaby jersey. He would have been great for us.' Loading Asked if he felt disrespected by the Lions over the Samu situation, Kefu said it was a backhanded compliment. 'I think more respected because they didn't want him to play. So removing him would certainly de-power our team, so I thought they had a high level of respect for him.' Lions coach Andy Farrell, who had previously washed his hands of the Samu veto, said the side had expected an emotional response from the FNP team. 'Do you know what, it's all well and good talking that type of situation up but when the whistle goes, you're just into it and that's what you'd expect from those guys,' he said. 'They're passionate people, proud of who they're representing and they were certainly a handful, physically this evening so again, fair play to them.' Kefu said he would find a place for Salakaia-Loto and Taniela Tupou in the Wallabies squad after their powerhouse performances.
The Age
42 minutes ago
- The Age
‘Take it to them head on': Veteran's advice to Wallabies after almost shocking Lions
Kefu said the week was a joyous one of bringing many cultures together, and understanding the different – and shared – backgrounds. But he also said the team had been motivated by the treatment of Samu, who was selected for the team and trained early on, but had to withdraw after the Lions used their veto power to oppose him playing. The agreement struck between RA and the Lions was Super Rugby players would be used in the FNP squad, and the Lions argued Samu didn't qualify given he has just returned from Bordeaux. RA argued Samu qualified given he has since joined the Waratahs. Samu, who has Tongan heritage and was raised in Melbourne, stayed with the squad and ran water last night at Marvel. A section of the crowd had Samu face masks. 'Pete was originally down to play number eight and he'd already trained a few sessions with us, so to see the way he was displaced, I think was pretty poor,' Kefu said. 'Pete was fantastic, he got on with it, he was keen to hang around and help the boys prepare and the boys really felt for him.' Kefu said Samu would have a big difference to the strength of the FNP side. 'The young kid (Tuaina Taii Tualima) that took his spot, he's got a big future, but Pete Samu is an experienced campaigner,' Kefu said. 'He's hungry and motivated to get back into the Wallaby jersey. He would have been great for us.' Loading Asked if he felt disrespected by the Lions over the Samu situation, Kefu said it was a backhanded compliment. 'I think more respected because they didn't want him to play. So removing him would certainly de-power our team, so I thought they had a high level of respect for him.' Lions coach Andy Farrell, who had previously washed his hands of the Samu veto, said the side had expected an emotional response from the FNP team. 'Do you know what, it's all well and good talking that type of situation up but when the whistle goes, you're just into it and that's what you'd expect from those guys,' he said. 'They're passionate people, proud of who they're representing and they were certainly a handful, physically this evening so again, fair play to them.' Kefu said he would find a place for Salakaia-Loto and Taniela Tupou in the Wallabies squad after their powerhouse performances.
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
First Nations and Pasifika XV shock touring Lions
A spirited First Nations and Pasifika outfit have provided a blueprint for the Wallabies with a barnstorming effort to almost take down the unbeaten British and Irish Lions. The historic selection delivered a passionate and combative performance at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium to shock the touring party, but ultimately fell just short in losing 24-19. Representing First Nations, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Maori cultures, the invitational side held the unbeaten Lions to 14-14 at halftime and were unlucky not to score a third on the bell. Hard-hitting lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto again gave Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt a timely reminder of his value ahead of the second Test at the MCG on Saturday, while prop Taniela Tupou was also rock solid in the scrum. The First Nations and Pasifika side were on the back foot early and the signs looked ominous when NSW Waratahs winger Tristan Reilly was given a yellow-card for his tackle on debutant Darcy Graham. With Owen Farrell captaining the Lions for the first time, the visitors crossed in the seventh minute when a Fin Smith chip kick bounced up for centre Jamie Osborne. They doubled that score in the 10th minute when halfback Ben White fired a pass out to Graham, but the shattered Scotsman's night ended five minutes later with a leg injury. The invitational side also had an early casualty, with Wallabies outside back Filipo Daugunu suffering a head knock while making a tackle. But coach Toutai Kefu's men put the visitors on the back foot with their rushing defence and breakdown ferocity, with flanker Charlie Gamble a stand-out. Reilly made amends for his early absence when he intercepted a long Lions pass to score his team's first try before Queensland flanker Seru Uru planted the ball next to the post in the 22nd minute to lock up the scoreline. It was the first time in seven matches in Australia that the Lions weren't in front at halftime, having conceded the most points in a first half of their tour. The four-nations outfit edged ahead in the 44th minute with Osborne bagging his second, but the home side refused to buckle despite having to call on an inexperienced bench including 21-year-old Canberra club player Jarrah McLeod. Farrell set up his team's fourth try, dummying and offloading for Duhan van der Merwe to score and it looked like the Lions would kick away. But with 95-Test veteran Kurtley Beale marshalling his troops, Melbourne product Rob Leota put his team back in the hunt with a 70th minute try to reduce the margin to five points. First Nations and Pasifika continued to scrap for the match-winner but the Lions managed to hold on to keep their unbeaten record intact.
