'You belong here': The 20-year-old Super Rugby rookie who could be the answer to Australia's lock crisis
With all four Wallabies locks from last year’s Rugby World Cup set to be playing their club rugby overseas as of 2021, the depth of the position has been questioned constantly throughout Super Rugby AU.
But national coach Dave Rennie may have found himself an answer.
Standing at 203cm and by playing the game at a level simply beyond his years, Rebels lock Trevor Hosea can bring some much-needed youth to help reinvigorate the Wallabies second row.
Hosea have become a staple of the Rebels match day side since making his debut off the bench in the opening round of Super Rugby AU against the Brumbies. He has a tackle accuracy of 93 percent and has already become a leader for the Rebels at the set piece.
The 20-year-old was recently rewarded for his form throughout his breakout rookie campaign, named in Rennie’s players of national interest (PONI) list last month. Hosea said that it was a proud moment for both him and his family, but admitted that he wants to improve his work rate and lineout timing as he looks to officially take that next step.
“Just having eyes on me, it’s a big achievement for me getting selected in the PONI squad but there’s obviously heaps of work to do,” Hosea told RugbyPass.
“I’ve just got to keep working hard because I know there are eyes on me. I’ve just got to show what I’ve got.
“It would mean the world to me [to play for the Wallabies], it was a dream growing up. I’ve been working hard this year, been working hard the last few years to try and get a game under my belt and it’s all working out so far.”
Even though he was born in AFL-mad Victoria, Hosea always had eyes for the 15-man code. He said that he’s been “drawn to rugby” because of his father, having first played the sport at six-years old.
But Hosea made a big decision in 2016 which showed just how serious he was about rugby.
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The up-and-comer decided to move out of home and board at the prestigious Brisbane GPS school, Brisbane Boys’ College, for his last two years of high school. Hosea felt that at the time, it was a move that he needed to make in pursuit of his rugby dream.
“The pathways down in Melbourne were still growing and they’re getting better and better each year, but definitely the way I saw it was that it was a great opportunity to get up there and play some of the best schoolboy footy that there is to offer.
“It was definitely a big step for me going up to Brisbane, a big decision for my family, but I reckon it really paid off.”
But the need to move to a more rugby dominated state brings with it an underdog mentality that Hosea and a few of the other Rebels players have adopted.
The ‘Burn Boyz’ are the small group of Victorian-born players in the squad who have paved the way for the next generation of the states rugby talent to play at that level. Hosea, other PONI selections in Pone Fa’amausili and Jordan Uelese, as well as Rob Leota, make up the small group of players inspiring the next wave of Victorian talent.
As he discussed, it’s a mantle that Hosea and his teammates take pride in representing every time they take the field.
“I’ve always been an underdog and that’s probably what us boys are about, and I guess the mentality has come from that. It’s just trying to put on for the State, for our city, and make something of ourselves and just show everyone that there is an opportunity there.
“I guess it is a responsibility seeing that in a sense, we are role models. Just to be a role model and to show younger players that there is an opportunity and just to keep chasing the dream.”
Hosea made his Super debut in July, three years after he signed a development contract with the Rebels.
He came off the bench in the second half against the Brumbies, but felt that the support of his teammates, including some invaluable words from Wallaby Reece Hodge, helped him ease into Super Rugby.
Ex-All Blacks boss Steve Hansen has revealed the best athlete he ever coached in his illustrious rugby career spanning 24 years.https://t.co/kXXGY8NBHc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 4, 2020
“When it came to game time, I had a few butterflies in the stomach but I just thought to myself, ‘just do your thing, do your role, do you and you and you’ll be sweet.’
“Coming onto the field, I had a few of the boys come around me as soon as I got on.
“One of the big things for me was when Reece Hodge came up to me after one of our tries and said, ‘You belong here bro.’ That was a real boost for me and it got me up and kept me up; was really comfortable on the field.”
Now seven games into his career, Hosea is just one of many of last year’s Junior Wallabies to have graduated from that level and into Super Rugby – and to have truly made the most of their opportunities.
The second rower started in last year’s one-point Junior World Cup final loss to France, alongside a number of fellow PONI selections in Fraser McReight, Noah Lolesio, Harry Wilson and more.
But with the under-20s side recording a best ever finish at a Junior World Cup, Hosea is taking plenty of positives out of his time with the side as he looks to help usher in what may just be a golden generation of Australian rugby talent.
“There’s a lot of young fellas coming through and I just think it’s that hunger that’s been shown throughout the comp, the hunger to want to represent at higher honours. That’s a real drive for us young fellas coming through and we see the opportunity at the end, it’s there to take, so we’re all fighting for a spot.
“I think it was one of the best performances from an under-20s team in a while. A lot of us young fellas coming through took a lot of confidence out of that World Cup, and it just shows how much it meant to us and how much we’re willing to work to get to that next level.”
Much like their opponents this weekend, the Rebels have been on the road throughout their entire Super Rugby AU campaign. With Victoria having been in lockdown since July, Hosea and his side will be out to “lift the spirits” of their fans with what would be a historic victory on Saturday.
The Rebels face the Force in the final round of Super Rugby AU, where they can secure a maiden playoff berth with a victory by four or more points.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to comments