And who better to catch up with at the start of the year than Samu Kerevi. It'd been a while since I caught up with him officially for Reds Rugby Rules and he seemed comfortable in his new role as captain, but also humble and aware of the hard work that's ahead for him and the Reds. It was great hearing his thoughts on where his team's at, their gruelling pre-season training camp, as well as his family, faith and what drives him.
(By the way, make sure you check out my 2017 interview with him, to learn even more about the him.)
Hey Samu, awesome to see you and catch up again.
Thanks for having me.
I’m so pumped for the season ahead for the Reds. How are you feeling after your first game of Super Rugby for 2019, against the Highlanders?
Yeah, a little bit sore, always happens after the first game. But I’m really proud of the boys efforts, they played extremely well. We worked hard to get to the position we were in, but unfortunately we just missed out on key moments of the game and you can’t do that against a quality team like the Highlanders, they’ll make you pay. So hopefully we’ll make amends for it this weekend, the boys have been working extremely hard ahead of the next game.
What’s one word that sums up the training camp that you and the team went through during pre-season?
Ahh.. (Laughs). Extremely, extremely, tough. Both physically and mentally tough. But if I was to sum it up in one word, it would probably be hell.
By the way, I love the new maroon jersey. How did you feel when you wore the 2019 jersey for the first time?
I loved it as well. I think the maroon jersey is awesome for us, especially with the history it holds. It’s up to us to add to it and the legacy that Queensland has held for more than 100 years. I guess that’s the exciting part for the young men playing in the jersey now. We have a legacy to uphold and we want to put that pressure on ourselves to represent the people each weekend. I guess that’s the hardest part of it all. But again, we’re pretty blessed to be able to do what we do and go out and play footy which is the game we love and have played since we were little kids. For me personally, the maroon jersey, I never thought I’d wear it. So to be wearing it now, it’s very special and I hold it close to my heart.
Since our last official interview, you’ve bounced back from a major injury [torn bicep]. What’s something you learnt during your rehab that you’ve taken into the new season?
It was a massive challenge for me and I always looked at it as a blessing in disguise. For me, it’s just trusting God’s plan for me and especially in those times of need when you want to be out there playing on the field and you want to be fit… it gives you a backseat and a look into your life. You can put effort into other areas that you might have missed playing the game, you’re away from family a lot, so being able to put more time into family, into self-growth, and especially my relationship with God, it’s always important to me. Understanding that he’s given me a gift so being able to do that to the best of my ability was something I was able to think about.
I also thought about my families future. The thing with rugby, it’s not promised. So definitely living life to the fullest in that regard and putting my best effort into that, and obviously in rehab, working hard to be fit so I can play really well for Queensland and high honours if it comes.
How good was it putting on the green and gold last year after your recovery?
Yeah. It was a massive surprise to me. I didn’t think I’d return to the field in 2018 after that bicep tear, I thought I’d miss the whole season because of the recovery time I was given. But like I said before, part of God’s plan… I came back for that New Zealand game and was blessed to be selected and came back pretty fit thanks to the Reds and Brinley, I’ve been working hard with him. It’s always special putting on the green and gold, representing your country. Always an honour to put on that jersey.
You’ve come from Rookie through to Reds captain. What’s something that’s kept you in good stead over the years?
Um, I think my family have kept me on my feet… and kept me grounded and constantly reminding me to put my trust in God. It’s a massive part of my life and something that I haven’t alway gotten right, but I know he’s gotten me through a lot of tough times and a lot of good times as well. I’m blessed to be able to do this as a job. God’s blessed me with these talents. I’ve got to do well in everything I do. If it’s playing for the Queensland Reds, if it’s serving others through this jersey, I think that’s a massive part of staying humble. A lot of things can come through rugby. A lot of good things and a lot of bad things that the world will offer you but you gotta understand that you’re representing people, not just yourself. You’re representing your family, the Queensland people, my family back in Fiji, that’s what’s always in the back of my mind when I’m training.
When I’m training hard and it’s hurting, I know my "why" and that’s my faith, above all. And my family and all the people I represent with the jersey. That’s what’s kept me in stead since I was a rookie.
You can only go so far with talent, hard work is required. That’s something I learnt along the way and hopefully it’ll take me for years from here.
Thanks for making the time to catch up. Always a pleasure.
No thank you for having me, it’s always a pleasure to be interviewed by you brother. Hope to see you at the home games coming up!
