'He was probably holding us back': Brumbies star's cheeky jab at ex-teammate

The contingent of ex-Brumbies who have traded Canberra’s chilly mornings for Perth’s warm waters can expect a frosty reception when the Western Force trade blows with the Brumbies this Sunday. 

That is if towering Brumbies lock Nick Frost has anything to say about it. In particular, he has good mate Bayley Kuenzle in his sights when the opening whistle blows. 

Joking with media on Tuesday, Frost threw out a few barbs to his ex-teammates who have been living it up in Perth.

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“There’s a few ex-Brumbies over there now. It will be good to go up against them. We haven’t seen a few of those boys in a while. 

“Especially my ex-housemate Bayley Kuenzle. I’ve seen a lot of them at beach bars with unbuttoned shirts, so we don’t actually know what they look like in any Force gear. 

“It was me, Mack Hansen and Bayley [sharing a house]. I think he is the common denominator, when BK left the two of us made national squads, so he was probably holding us back a bit.

“Even Reesjan, Finesy and Reece [Tapine], it will be good to catch up. I’m very good mates will all of them. I might hold them back in a few rucks and give them a bit of lip on the field. It will be good fun.”

Good-natured ribbing aside, Frost says he is keen to test himself against Wallabies lock Izack Rodda, who returns to Australian shores in a major coup for the Western Force. 

“It will be good to go against each other. I haven’t played him before so that will be good fun.” 

Frost joined the Wallabies squad last year and says while it was valuable to see how the other locks trained, he was looking to back up that experience by contributing minutes on the park in Super Rugby. 

“My work-on has been my physicality. The message [from coach Dan McKellar] has been to go out and enjoy it and play some good footy. I want to try and get into some space, have a run and get the ball in my hands.”

For the game on Sunday afternoon, the Brumbies are expecting a fast track and the Force to throw the ball around.

“We played them round one last year and that was a good battle over in Perth. they’re always good fun to play. It’s an afternoon game as well which is a bit of a bonus.

“It’s been a long pre-season. The last two weeks are always a bit of a drag because it’s so close but so far. We are really looking forward to this weekend.”

For loose forward Pete Samu, there will be extra motivation on Sunday, as it will be a great opportunity to bring along his newborn son for an afternoon Brumbies games. 

“It will be good to get him out. He’s usually sound asleep for night games. It should be nice and warm and he’ll get to watch me play live. It will be good for families to get out and watch too. It’s always easier to play on Sunday afternoon.”

After suffering an MCL injury which saw him miss the Super AU finals and Trans-Tasman, Samu says he is keen to rip in. 

“I had an injury last year which put me out of footy for a bit, so coming back it was good to string a couple of games together. Having the break has been helpful leading into this new season, and I’m keen to string a few more games together again.”

He will work in tandem with fellow back-rower Rob Valetini. 

“My role for the Wallabies has been a bit different, so just coming back and fitting back into my role at the Brumbies has been great. 

“Bobby [Valetini] has lifted his game in the past year, which has been good to see. I’m looking forward to getting in behind Bobby when he gets the ball in his hands.”