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'We couldn't believe he put the boots on and ran out there' - Luke Morahan on Siale Piutau's sacrifice
Luke Morahan headed away from Twickenham a fortnight ago in agony. His shoulder had been damaged in a season-ending fashion and an operation would be required to put it right and ensure he will be back in the mix come the summer pre-season.
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However, that wound was insignificant compared to the pain barrier Siale Piutau, his Bristol colleague, courageously played through.
The midfielder had only learned some hours earlier that his sister Ema, a defence lawyer from Auckland, had died following a short illness.
But rather than pull out of the Gallagher Premiership match versus Bath, the Bears co-captain insisted on playing in front of a crowd of 60,000 that included his currently injured brother Charles.
Morahan couldn’t quite believe Siale’s dedication to the club. “Yeah, it’s unbelievable,” said the Australian to RugbyPass. “A lot of us were talking and we couldn’t believe that he put the boots on and ran out there.
“As an immensely emotional player it would have been very difficult, but it just goes to show what this club means to these guys and what rugby means to them and their families.
“We 100 per cent supported him in whatever he would have done and he just wanted to run out with us that day. That gives you a lot of perspective and a lot of belief that this guy is running out with you is out there because he loves to be playing with you. It was a huge effort from Siale and we’re very appreciative he decided to do that.”
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That type of unwavering dedication highlighted rugby’s unifying qualities – Piutau had been bereaved, yet he thought it best he stood by his rugby family before returning New Zealand to properly grieve.
Contrast that with the regular divisive rows coursing through the sport in Australia, such as the expulsion of Western Force from Super Rugby and the current controversy that is the push to terminate Israel Folau’s contract following his latest use of social media.
Getting into the ins and out of the Folau situation isn’t for Morahan. What bugs him is the negative commentary it has generated for rugby union, the sort of headache it doesn’t need when trying to compete for young hearts and minds in the crowded Australian sports landscape.
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“I’m not surprised there has been a lot of controversy following what has happened but it’s disappointing that these are the headlines that Australian rugby is getting because they are not in the best state in terms of the game itself in the country.
“They don’t really need this sort of negativity at the moment, so hopefully it sorts itself out and we can get back to the rugby side of things. With the World Cup coming it is important for us to do well on the international stage.
“You see Australian teams doing well in Super Rugby, so if we can transfer that to some success in the World Cup it would be vitally important for the game in Australia. It’s what we need – we need a bit of some good fortune and strong passion behind the game within Australia.
“But it’s always the case (with controversy). If it’s something that is going to sell the newspapers that is what they will pick up on, but hopefully what they will be selling newspapers for is Wallaby success in the near future,” continued the 29-year-old before switching to the pervious massive row that engulfed Rugby Australia, the jettison of the Force from Super Rugby.
Morahan was immune in the sense that his deal with Bristol had been signed before the definitive decision was made to cut the Force. But all the same, he was bemused by what happened and hopes his old franchise can make a successful go in their planned new tournament with a variety of Asian franchises.
“It was a tough period, but I’d known that I was moving on prior to that happening. I have still got a lot of mates playing down there and they’re enjoying it.
Legendary hospitality here in #japan Coming together after a great battle on the field with @CC_RedSparks & #SanixBlues Looking forward to the next step up against @JRFURugby ‘A’ team in #tokyo next weekend pic.twitter.com/27RcZm2lwh
— AndrewReadyOfficial (@AndrewReady02) April 20, 2019
“It’s disappointing that the competition had to be delayed again for another year but they are playing these exhibition games at the moment and you can see the crowds turning out for them. It’s a pretty high standard of rugby.
“The guys who I have spoken to who are still there are really enjoying it. They’re in Japan at the moment, so they are travelling a lot and getting the most out of it. Hopefully, their competition starts next year and it takes off because it would be great for them but also World Rugby. It would be great to see a competition in that region that does well.”
Morahan had initially signed for Bristol believing it was the Premiership he would be competing in. Their relegation before he arrived in summer 2017 knocked that assumption on the head and it was only last September, following a detour season travelling the highways and byways of England on Championship duty, that he belatedly got to learn all about the true competitiveness of the elite league.
“It was a bit of a step down in terms of the speed of the games,” he recalled about his Championship penance. “Super Rugby is a very quick competition in terms of the length and also the speed of the game. Coming over here to a competition like the Championship was a bit slower.
“The quality was definitely there, the physicality was very high, but it was much slower and a much longer run competition. Throughout the winter it felt like that. It was a little bit different, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“You got to see the countryside pretty well in the Championship. You went to some far-out places, but that was great. That was part of the reason why I wanted to come over, to go around and see new places, and you definitely do that with the Championship.
“You get to go to some pretty strong rugby communities who really enjoy the sport and get out and support their local team. It’s great to get out there and be a part of that and see the somewhat grassroots-type games being played in those sorts of areas. It was enjoyable.”
Now, though, it’s all about the Premiership and while Morahan is confined to the stands as Bristol chase down a possible Champions Cup qualification spot, his injury has allowed him some space to reflect on how good for his game his switch to England has been.
“I definitely think I have grown as a player. The Premiership has taught me a lot about turning up week in, week out, but it’s more so the Bristol environment that I have been a part of and the coaching staff. I’ve learned a lot from them.
Didn’t quite get there yesterday. However, bears fans out in full
force once again. Epic day competing in The Clash. #COYB ? pic.twitter.com/AsAtov8CDl— luke morahan (@Ljmorahan) April 7, 2019
“Pat (Lam) has been fantastic in learning a lot from a game plan standpoint. Positionally we have some world-class players like Charles Piutau and those guys, you can’t help but learn a lot from them. Pat’s instilling confidence within the group and within you individually for you to go out and play and do your best.
“I have learned a lot in terms of game play, strategy, self-confidence and your ability. All that side of things has been fantastic and I have grown massively as a player being over here.”
Having tried to spread the rugby message in a place like Perth, Morahan is clued into what Bristol are up to in their community. He endorses the work their community foundation gets up to in stitching rugby in the fabric of a football-dominated region and he happily represented the Bears at their Gallagher Train with your Heroes session for the Cheddar RFC under-10s.
Great night down at the @Cheddar_Rugby club. Some serious talent coming through. Thanks to @GallagherUK for organising this great event. #grassroots https://t.co/PTV8sAArsk
— luke morahan (@Ljmorahan) April 17, 2019
“It’s fundamentally what we’re about. As a Bristol Bears group now inspiring the community through rugby, it goes hand in hand. The better we do, the better things are off the field in the community.
“It’s important for us to get out and support that message, support the grassroots stuff. It’s all part of what we believe as a group. We want to achieve off the field and bringing young Bristol guys through to end up playing for the Bears would be fantastic.
“It’s part of our vision and this community work is all part of the fundamentals we have to lay down to be able to achieve that later.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
29 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
29 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
29 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
11 Go to comments