Pete Samu: From Champions Cup glory to Wallabies home World Cup pursuit

Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks achieved NFL immortality in Super Bowl LX with a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday evening. Thousands will fill the streets of Seattle in the coming days; fans will welcome the world champions home with a parade.

Liverpool F.C, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Springboks are other teams that have enjoyed similar celebrations in recent years. These parades are powerful and unique to the sporting world, as the city of Bordeaux showed last May.

50,000 fans packed the streets after Union Bordeaux-Begles beat the Northampton Saints 28-20 in the Champions Cup Final in Cardiff. It was the first major trophy in the club’s history, crowned European champions – and the “rugby-loving” city made sure to enjoy every moment

@championscuprugby Epic celebrations 😍 #InvestecChampionsCup #Rugby #UBB #Bordeaux @Union Bordeaux Bègles ? original sound – Investec Champions Cup

Samu started opposite Henry Pollock in the Champions Cup Final and put in a 67-minute shift at the Principality Stadium. While it’d been tough for Samu to initially leave Australia, winning that title and the parade that followed stands out as one of his career highlights.

“As a rugby-loving city, it was awesome to play in front of sell-out crowds every week,” Samu told RugbyPass. 

“I really enjoyed my footy a lot more as well. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t enjoying it here before I left but there’s a few things that happened… lost a tiny bit of motivation.

“Heading over there was a fresh start; new team, new players and got to experience that side of the world.

“It was like nothing I’ve been a part of before,” he added when asked about the parade.

“You see it on TV with the football… just to be a part of it and seeing the streets filled with fans, it just shows how much rugby means to the city.

“It’s probably one of the best rugby experiences I’ve had in my career. Was an awesome experience.”

Samu’s professional rugby journey began with Tasman in New Zealand’s NPC and the Crusaders at Super Rugby level. The backrower played multiple seasons alongside the likes of Kieran Read and Codie Taylor before heading across the ditch, signing with the Brumbies.

Born in Melbourne, Samu returned to Australia with ambitions of playing for the Wallabies. The loose forward was named to take on Ireland in Brisbane on June 9, 2018, and has gone on to make a total of 34 appearances in the iconic gold jersey.

While the Brumbies enforcer became a mainstay of the Super Rugby powerhouse’s matchday sides, an opportunity to head overseas proved too good to turn down. Samu was linked with a move to Bordeaux in March 2023, and the club later confirmed the move.

“It was really tough to leave,” Samu said.

“I was at the Brumbies at the time and made so many good friends. It was very tough to leave on that note but I’m grateful for the move.

“Heading to France, moving my whole life, my family, my kids and heading over there and into a new environment where we had to sort of start, which was a blessing as well.

“We really got into the culture and speaking a new language and had its challenges but we really enjoyed our time over in France.”

Samu decided to return home to Australia in a bid to represent the host nation as next year’s Rugby World Cup, which starts on October 1 in Perth. But it wasn’t an easy call to make, having “made a home in France… I call some of (the Bordeaux players) our French family.”

The 34-year-old made lifelong friends and memories while overseas, and even had a chance to start one match on the wing. This decision to return home has been particularly motivated by what would be a career-first, as he’s yet to play on the sport’s biggest stage.

Michael Cheika didn’t select the backrower in the Wallabies squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, with the Aussies falling in a quarter-final defeat to England in Oita. Samu wasn’t picked by Eddie Jones for the next tournament either, instead playing for Australia A before the event.

“It was probably one of the few main drivers of me coming back home was to play in a World Cup,” Samu explained.

“I came close with the last one. To miss out, it was pretty tough to take. But man, it is what it is.

“It’s exciting to be back, strive for a World Cup but excited to be here in this environment (with the) Waratahs. A lot of good young boys coming through and just excited to play.

“That’s probably the main driver, playing in front of family and friends in a home World Cup would mean a lot to us,” he added later.

“With the way the squad went last year, it was really exciting to watch and be a part of in the backend of the year.

“That was probably the main driver in coming home.”