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‘Always back myself’: Daniel Rona’s ‘crazy’ rise in Super Rugby Pacific
Daniel Rona had one goal when he was called up for the Chiefs’ preseason as an All Blacks replacement player, and that was to make his Super Rugby Pacific debut.
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But if you told him how his life and career was about to change this season, Rona wouldn’t have believed you. Even now, the centre described the last few months as a “pretty crazy” experience.
Rona is only on a “development contract” at the Hamilton-based franchise, but has proven himself to be one of the finds of the season.
After making his Chiefs debut off the bench against the Highlanders in March, he’s gone on to start five matches for the ladder-leaders.
In a team full of superstars, the rising star has been an unsung hero for the Chiefs in some of their toughest games this season.
Rona, whose half-brother Curtis played for the Wallabies, scored his first career try in the hard-fought win over the high-flying Hurricanes in Wellington last month.
Normally, Rona would be working as a concreter – but said he’s “loving not being on the tools” as he continues to chase his rugby dream with the Chiefs.
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“If you told me at the start of the year I would not only make my Super Rugby debut but I’d be starting three, four weeks in a row… (it’s) pretty crazy,” Rona told RugbyPass last week.
“I’m just loving it, loving my time here, I’m loving not being on the tools.
Tyrel Lomax is an All Black, but his career could’ve gone down a very different path.
The @Hurricanesrugby prop spoke with @FinnMorton5 ✍️ #AllBlacks #Wallabies #BledisloeCup #SuperRugbyPacific #RugbyWorldCup2023 #interview https://t.co/qIDnhqn8Nz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 3, 2023
“I want to be a full time rugby player and at the moment that’s what I am.
“I’ve always believed that I was good enough to make it, I always back myself.
“I just knew that it would come eventually if I kept working hard and I’m lucky enough that it’s starting to take off.”
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Ahead of their trip to Dunedin to face the Highlanders in round 11, coach Clayton McMillan and the Chiefs have welcomed back All Blacks veteran Anton Lienert-Brown.
The “world-class” centre injured his ankle in the opening match of the season, but is set to return on Friday night.
Lienert-Brown will make his 100th appearance for the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium, and will line up in the midfield alongside Rona.
“It makes my job a lot easier knowing that all I have to focus on is my job because everyone around me is going to do their job and do it well,” Rona added.
“Anton Lienert-Brown and Alex Nankivell are world-class midfielders so just being able to learn off them and to train with them every day and see how they go about their week has helped me out so much.
“Little pointers here and there and how to be a professional I guess.
“I’m just trying to soak up as much as I can off those fellas.
“They’re good, they’re tell you straight up what you’ve done wrong and how to fix it so they won’t really sugarcoat it.”
Rona may have ticked off his one individual goal for the year, but the team are chasing the ultimate prize as a collective this season.
The Chiefs have started their season with a perfect nine wins from as many games, and currently sit in first place on the ladder.
Rona said that “there’s a lot of belief in this franchise” that they can go the distance this season.
“The start of the year, my one goal was to make my Super Rugby debut and anything above that is just a bonus and I’ve ticked that off.
“I’ve ticked my one goal off this year so now it’s just focusing on every opportunity I get, just to put my hand up and do my job the best I can and try to help this team win a championship.
“There’s a lot of belief in this franchise right now that we can do it so I guess just nailing my role week-in, week-out, and try and help this team get the win.”
The Chiefs will take on the Highlanders at 7.05pm NZST on Friday night at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments