Tevita Kuridrani de Biarritz à Seattle
L’ancien milieu de terrain des Wallabies, Tevita Kuridrani (61 sélections entre 2013 et 2019), a refait surface aux États-Unis après un passage malheureux en France.
Le joueur de 31 ans a joué pour la dernière fois pour Biarritz lors de la saison 2021/22 du Top 14 qui s’est terminée par une relégation et, après une année d’absence, il vient d’être dévoilé en tant que nouvelle recrue par les Seattle Seawolves en Major League Rugby pour un contrat de deux ans.
« Ma famille et moi sommes très heureux de nous installer à Seattle. Je suis reconnaissant de l’opportunité qui m’est offerte et j’ai hâte de rejoindre la famille des Seawolves », a déclaré Tevita Kuridrani dans un communiqué.
Présentation de son CV
Le club a pris le temps de présenter sa nouvelle recrue en reprenant son CV assez complet.
« Kuridrani est né aux Fidji et a déménagé en Australie à l’âge de 11 ans. Il a commencé sa carrière internationale en représentant les Fidji dans les U20 en 2010. Plus tard cette année-là, il a fait la traversée et a commencé à jouer pour son pays d’adoption, faisant ses débuts à Dubaï pour les Aussie 7s », est-il écrit dans le communiqué de présentation.
« Alors qu’il faisait partie de l’académie des Reds, Kuridrani a attiré l’attention des Brumbies et a fait ses débuts avec l’équipe de Canberra en 2021, devenant rapidement leur centre titulaire et étant appelé dans l’équipe des Wallabies.
« Kuridrani a gagné 61 sélections internationales, marquant 22 essais et participant aux Coupes du Monde de Rugby 2015 et 2019. En 2020, après 135 matchs et 28 essais avec les Brumbies, Kuridrani passe à la Western Force. Il rejoint aujourd’hui les Seawolves après avoir joué sa dernière saison pour le Biarritz Olympique en France.
« Il est doté de jambes extra-longues qui lui permettent de se faufiler entre les défenseurs potentiels, d’une feinte mortelle et d’un appui subtil du pied gauche qui suffisent à faire douter les meilleurs défenseurs, ainsi que d’une excellente capacité d’offload. »
Pour Allen Clarke, directeur du rugby et entraîneur principal des Seawolves, « C’est une signature qui va non seulement inspirer notre club à obtenir plus de succès, mais aussi inspirer nos fans, notre championnat et les futures générations de joueurs de rugby américains. Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Tevita, sa compagne Melissa et sa fille Silovate dans la famille des Seawolves pour les deux prochaines saisons ».
Comments on RugbyPass
Kok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to comments