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Wallabies starlet Izaia Perese reveals why he re-signed with the Waratahs

(Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Winning a Rugby World Cup is the end goal but repaying the NSW Waratahs for their “huge gamble” was the overriding factor in Izaia Perese’s decision to remain in Sydney long-term.

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One of the most exciting prospects in Australian rugby, Perese has committed to the Waratahs until at least the end of 2024 and looms as a Wallabies X-factor at next year’s global showpiece in France.

But that’s merely the pot at the end of the rainbow for the powerhouse centre, with Perese intent on helping the Waratahs to a Super Rugby Pacific title before then.

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The 24-year-old says he’s “forever grateful” to the Tahs for handing him a lifeline back in Australia while he was plying his trade in France after being sacked by the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos in 2020.

Perese pleaded guilty to supplying a dangerous drug in September 2019, leaving his professional football career in tatters.

“The opportunity the Tahs gave me when I first came from France, they took a huge risk because they genuinely didn’t know what they were getting with me,” Perese said on Tuesday.

“The headlines I made before leaving France was drugs charges.

“So they took a huge gamble on me and I’m forever grateful for that and that played a huge factor in why I wanted to stay and hence why I’m doing my very best week in, week out is the least I can do to give back and try to make this team great again.”

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One of the form players in the country since joining the Waratahs at the start of 2021, Perese says he couldn’t be happier at Daceyville.

“It all stems back to being France and knowing what I had taken for granted and then coming back here and being in an environment where it’s such an accepting environment regardless of what’s happened in the past,” he said.

“And then going onwards with such a great bunch of lads where there’s no egos involved, where everyone loves to learn from each other.

“We all help each other, we all hold each other accountable and we’re all great mates off the field.

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“So we’re such a tight-knit crew. The coaching staff as well.

“I genuinely believe we are building something pretty special here at the Waratahs under Darren Coleman, Jason Gilmore, Chris Whitaker, and Pauli Taumoepeau.

“And I just want to stick around because it’s my happy place.”

A former Redcliffe Dolphins player, Perese said talk of reuniting with Wayne Bennett in the NRL was just that.

“We had definitely opened up shop when we were sort of looking but in a sense there was no serious talk,” he said.

“That was just a huge rumour.”

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J
JWH 1 hour ago
'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Do you hear yourself? Do you have any concept of world view? Have you tried looking into why people call Ireland ‘arrogant’? Obviously not.


We started calling you arrogant when you called our captain a ‘shit Richie McCaw’. In New Zealand. On our turf. Don’t think that kind of behaviour really calls for respect, does it.


NZ don’t really talk ourselves up, if anything the rugby does it for us. No kiwi goes in the media and says: ‘We are gonna win the RWC’. However, I have found many instance of IRISH media saying that the Irish should win, without a doubt. THAT is disrespectful.


The All Blacks have played good rugby, even some of the best rugby ever, at many points in history, but I don’t think you could find a single instance of one of those players, or the NZ media, saying that they should whitewash their opponents. Ever.


Now, onto your analysis. Ireland DID choke the QF. They beat the champions, they were ranked first coming into it, a lot of players at the peaks of their powers. Its hard to say that they didn’t choke. Obviously, their preparation was just not as good as NZ, and thats all there really is to it.


If Ireland had repsected that ABs team and that QF more, maybe they would’ve prepared properly for it and won. But they didn’t.


Maybe if Ireland had won their QF last RWC, they wouldn’t have to be in the same pool as SA and Scotland. I mean, its called a draw for a reason. NZ got third last RWC, so of course they should get a reasonable pool, and they were ranked pretty highly too. If you want to talk about easy pools, look no further than Pool 3 with England, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia I think?


Now, obviously you don’t remember how that QF ended, so I’ll go ahead and rectify that. Ireland reclaimed the ball off kickoff and marched for 20ish phases into the opposition half. Savea then won a turnover, but the referee refused to give it, so play went on. Finally, at the NZ 22, after not giving up a single penatly in 25 phases of hard defense, Sam Whitelock, the most capped All Black of all time, wins the game with an incredible steal.


Now, NZ players having a go at Ireland. Do you cry when you get hit after making the first swing? We all know Sexton is a prick on the field, its just the truth. And Ioane never backs down from a clash, so he thought he should humble a player who has never won an international knockout game who thought he was all that. Don’t really see the issue, its poetic justice really.

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