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Documentary - Lealliifano opens up on rugby, life and his battle with leukaemia

By Nathaniel Cope
Christian Lealiifano

Australian international Christian Lealiifano certainly has had plenty of challenges in his life.

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In a powerful interview before he departs Pro14 side Ulster the 30-year-old discussed his childhood, the death of his father, his rugby career and his successful battle with leukaemia.

Lealiifano lost his father to liver cancer just months before the 2006 Under 19 World Cup. He considered giving the competition a miss, but his family convinced him to go and his impressive performances helped Australia to glory.

It was a “career defining” tournament according to Lealiifano, as it led to a contract with the Brumbies.

He made his debut for the Wallabies in 2013 against the British and Irish Lions.

But it was in 2016 when he faced his greatest hurdle. During the June series he started feeling unwell, “I just tried to push through training and I just got tired and was getting worse and worse. I couldn’t shake a cold. I’d just had my son who was two months old and people thought that was why I was so rundown and tired, sleepless nights. I was trying to do fitness and training and started to have burning sensations in my hands and my feet and I said something is wrong.”

He was diagnosed with leukaemia and said his faith helped him through a tough time, adding “there is only so much energy you have in a day and when you spend it worrying when you spend it stressing, what room do you have left to be happy. And at the end of the day you just want to be happy and whether I was going to make it through or not, I was going to make sure I was positive and happy.”

With a partner and young son, he was determined to win his battle with the disease.

“That was a real drive for me, I needed to be a father for Jeremiah, there was no way he was going to grow up without a dad. That motivated me so much. Just to see him there lie back and smile, whether I had hair or not, whether I had eyebrows or not he’d smile at me exactly the same.”

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Lealiifano returned to rugby in July in the Super Rugby quarter-final against the Hurricanes.

“When I reached that goal in Super Rugby, in the quarter-final, just to run out and leave the last 10 or 11 months behind you and know that you get to do what you love again was an amazing feeling.”

A move to Ulster followed, something he described as “an amazing experience”. He’s made 16 appearances so far, notching up 47 points. The Australian’s last match will be on Sunday against Wasps in the Champions Cup, as he seeks to guide the team into the quarter-finals.

“I’m excited to get back to Super Rugby and the Brumbies and take back what I have learned and what I’ve improved in my game.”

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Credit: Ulster Rugby

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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