Wallaby Samu Kerevi: ‘I prepare to be the best in the world’

Asked if he could once more be the barnstorming force who was not so long ago seen as one of the very best centres in world rugby, Samu Kerevi did not even get the chance to answer.

“Yes. 100 per cent,” butted in a stony-faced Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, the Wallabies teammate sitting next to him at their Teddington training base.

It seems his mates have already seen enough. They see a man preparing to be the best in the world again.

Kerevi is now 31, without a Test cap for 13 months, plying his trade out of the spotlight in Japan and surely a bit rusty after playing just one match since May.

Yet he sounds a rejuvenated figure as he’s set to answer the call with Joe Schmidt likely to plough him back into international midfield action against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

“There’s always highs and lows of rugby, and everyone’s got an opinion. And in 2021 everyone thought I was best in the world,” shrugged Kerevi at their headquarters in the London suburbs on Monday just down the road from Twickenham.

“But for me, it won’t affect me the way that people think about me. I know what I think about myself. I know the work I’ve put in, not just these last couple of years, but 11 years now.

“If I’m selected this week, I’ll be ready to go. If it’s next week or the week after, I’m keen to get on the field and just play some footy.

“Every time I prepare, I prepare to be the best in the world.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

3

Draws

0

Wins

2

Average Points scored

29

24

First try wins

40%

Home team wins

40%

“If you didn’t have that mindset you wouldn’t be at this level. And as well as it’s nice to hear (compliments) from other people, I’ve got my own self-drive – that’s all I need.”

A fit-and-firing Kerevi is all Australia need too as they seek to kick off their grand slam tour to the British Isles in style with victory over an England outfit itching to deliver a statement win after seeing a win over the All Blacks slip from their grasp on Saturday.

The Wallabies all gathered round a TV to watch the match and recognised the quality of a home side that Kerevi dubbed “unreal”.

They know a brutally tough tour opener awaits as they seek to avoid a fourth successive Test defeat after a hat-trick of losses to end the Rugby Championship.

The last time he was in the gold at the World Cup, Kerevi admits: “I wasn’t really happy with how I performed, so I wanted to get the body right (after an injury-plagued build-up) and feel like myself again.”

Now he feels like the real Samu is back and – for all the fuss being made over newbie Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – the real centre of attention for England should be Kerevi, the powerhouse Schmidt is set to turn to in the absence of Hunter Paisami, who’s returned to Brisbane ahead of his child’s birth.

Kerevi promises to let no one down, even while doubters will wonder if he could be properly prepared for the sternest examination after one match in five months.

“I’ve played over 40 caps now at Test level, I know what it feels like to be in that arena and what your body needs to give, but more so the mindset that you need,” he said.

“Since being in Japan, there’s been a lot of conversations like that, it’s always been the same. ‘The Japan league is this, the Japan league is that’ … but internally, I know what it takes to be here at Test level.

“Yes, I haven’t got a lot of game time since last year’s games, and we finished in May this year. I’ve got a trial match under my belt, but I’m just feeling my way back for this week.

“It’s awesome to be back in the squad. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be back. It’s pretty exciting times for the Wallabies.”