Building a legacy: Why Samu Kerevi chose to put his Wallabies career on hold and move to Japan
Rugby fans were understandably fairly shocked when it was announced that Wallabies midfielder Samu Kerevi would be heading overseas at the end of 2019.
Just 26 years old at the time, Kerevi still had plenty to offer to Australia rugby – at all levels of the game.
Kerevi, who exited the World Cup with just 33 international caps to his name, was ruling himself out of selection for the test side for the upcoming future and effectively semi-retiring from international rugby.
And for what?
Kerevi signed with Suntory Sungoliath, a Japanese club team based out of west Tokyo, home to the likes of Matt Giteau, Tevita Li and Kotaro Matsushima.
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No doubt, the money on offer in Japan far trumped anything that Rugby Australia could throw at the growing superstar and the less rigorous Top League schedule would appeal to just about any rugby player trying to make the most out of their career – plus, getting to experience a culture as rich as Japan’s would be enticing for anyone.
But, surely that would come at the cost of the Reds captain asserting himself as not just one of the best Wallabies of all time, but one of the best midfielders to grace the game – alongside men like of Brian O’Driscoll, Stirling Mortlock and Tana Umaga.
For Samu Kerevi, however, the decision didn’t come down to money, the schedule or the change in culture – it was much simpler than that.
“I had to really think about what I wanted, in terms of legacy and family,” Kerevi told RugbyPass three months into his new contract in Japan.
“In the end, I made the call that wanting to be the best centre in the world and the best centre in Queensland had to take a backseat and I had to put my family first.”
Kerevi has two brothers, Josua and Jone.
Both live in Japan, with Josua living up north in Akita and playing rugby for the Northern Bullets, and Jone studying and playing rugby at Tenrei University near Osaka.
While anyone would want to move closer to their siblings if the opportunity presented itself, Kerevi is a particularly special case, having spent the better part of his life separated from his brothers.
Josua and Jone spent their early lives in Fiji while Samu relocated as young child to Brisbane with his grandparents.
“I call my grandparents mum and dad because they’ve raised me since I was a baby,” Kerevi said.
“My grandfather actually named me and he was the first one to hold me when I was born so that’s why I have that relationship with him.
“We actually moved from Fiji to the Solomon Islands and there was a coup that happened there so we got evacuated. We had to leave everything in the Solomon Islands with my grandparents’ family.
“Then, there was also a coup in Fiji so we weren’t allowed back there either.”
Kerevi and his family boarded a New Zealand military aircraft and they and the rest of the passengers started making plans for life in NZ but that’s not where the plane was destined to land.
Instead, the aircraft touched down in Brisbane – something all Wallabies fans will be thankful for.
Kerevi and his grandparents had nothing when they arrived except for the clothes on their backs and turned to the Salvation Army for help.
The Wallabies will play Fiji in a region not visited by Test rugby for 17 years. https://t.co/SzUfJJ0NPx
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 14, 2020
It was a tough time for his whole family – but not something that a pre-school aged Samu Kerevi could even begin to truly appreciate.
“When I was young, I didn’t even know what was going on,” Kerevi said.
“Leaving my parents and brothers behind was tough, but it’s probably not until I grew up and started to go back home and see the struggle that my family went through that I really appreciated it.”
Spending more than 20 years away from home would make anyone yearn for the brotherhood that they missed out on growing up and Kerevi is no exception.
In particular, Kerevi was disappointed that he wasn’t able to offer a helping hand in raising his younger brother, Jone.
“I didn’t get to teach him things like how to fight, shave or how to ride a bike – big brother lessons, you know?” said Kerevi.
“I don’t want to miss any more of my little brother’s growth. He’s basically his own man now and it’s sad for me that I didn’t have much input into that.
“There are little things that most brothers get to do that I missed out on.
“So that’s why I’m here. I want to contribute anything I can for him.”
That doesn’t mean the move to Japan has been easy for the Fijian-born blockbuster – he’s had to move away from the man who has raised him since he was a little boy.
“The hardest part for me to leave Australia behind was him,” Kerevi said of his granddad.
“We’ve lived together since I was a baby but it’s been just the two of us since my grandmother passed away [in 2013]. This year is the first time I’ve been away from him – I’d sometimes not see him for a few weeks when I went away on tour but it’s different now.
“I used to come home from training with the Reds and he’d have a cooked dinner waiting and we’d just watch Netflix together. It’s crazy not to have that normality anymore with him but thank God for technology.”
Fifteen years ago, the number of players that left Australia and New Zealand for other countries paled in comparison to numbers that are leaving now.
That’s partly to do with the finances on offer but the fact that someone can move away from home and still keep in regular contact has also made heading off-shore considerably easier.
That’s exactly what Kerevi’s found since leaving Brisbane.
“I can still FaceTime my grandad,” Kerevi said.
“He’s still learning – I FaceTime him and he has his camera up to his ear. He’s still getting along with technology.
“I introduced him to Netflix back in Australia and it just blows his mind.
“I try to call him and sometimes he hangs up on me because he’s watching Netflix. I’m going to delete his subscription if he doesn’t answer my calls.”
Whilst Kerevi’s ultimatum may have been a joke, it shows how seriously the Wallaby treats his commitments to his family.
It’s clear that although the move away from Kerevi’s adopted home has been tough, he’s still thriving in his new role as a readily on-call big brother.
“[Jone] came back from Fiji a couple of days ago,” Kerevi said.
“We just jammed Call of Duty [one of the Kerevis’ favourite past times] all night, I cooked him some ribs. It made me really happy.
“To be able to do that for my little brother is the whole reason I’m here.”
And what does Kerevi’s newfound role as big brother mean for his rugby future?
At present, Wallabies representatives need to have accrued 60 caps before they’re able to continue to be selected for the national side if they’re based overseas.
Kerevi is well under that required number of caps, but rumours are that the ‘Giteau Law’ could be amended in the future.
That might not be the only way that Kerevi finds himself playing for Australia again, however.
“The Wallabies jersey has always been in my heart,” Kerevi said.
“It’s something I always want to aspire to. I just don’t know what the future holds at the moment, I’m just trying to focus on day to day.
“My little brother is at university here for the next few years, which runs parallel to my contract.
“Spending three years here is not a bad way to replenish the body, relax the body and get it going again.”
Still, there are things more important to Samu Kerevi than clocking up more mileage with the Wallabies – which is exactly why he made the move to Japan in the first place.
“The legacy is important… but I don’t care about how others perceive me,” Kerevi said.
“My family know the sacrifices I’ve made and what I’m going to do for them – making sure my mum and dad don’t have to work as much in their life, making sure they’re settled and my granddad is settled.
“At this moment, that’s more important to me now.
“Whenever the time’s right, I’ll have those conversations [about returning home] but I’m just leaving it in God’s hands.
“Right now, I’m enjoying my time here and enjoying the ride.”
WATCH: Samu Kerevi’s fellow World Cup Wallaby James Slipper made the call earlier this year to re-sign with the Brumbies.
Comments on RugbyPass
I think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to comments