As the Reds were travelling last week, the most recent interview I have done was on online with Karmichael Hunt. But I have managed to catch a photo with him after training.
Hi K,
Thank you for answering a few questions for me. I know that you must be thinking about the oncoming game.
But to begin, What was it that persuaded you back to Rugby Union?
I had never played Super Rugby before so when the Reds presented we with the opportunity to come on board I jumped at the chance. I played Rugby at Churchie (Anglican Church Grammar School) and again for Biarritz in France so I knew how fun the game was but as I said, I had never experienced it at the top level down under.
What is your club team?
The mighty Norths Eagles!
You play Outside back, what does that position involve?
Defensively you generally are trying to cover the man of the opposition on set piece. During phase you are looking to diffuse any kicking options the attack might throw at you while also lending a hand in the defensive line if need be. When a line break is made you are generally the last line of defence, so you gotta do your best to stop the opposition from scoring. In attack, you are looking to create play, back up, work the short side, kick, or create an extra man working into good positions.
Is it as hard as everyone has been claiming to adjust back after AFL and NRL?
Its been hard for me. My body took an absolute hammering during my adjustment to AFL footy. I was not design to play AFL but I did everything I could to try and succeed which ultimately meant losing a lot of my natural attributes e.g. muscle mass, speed and explosiveness. So the last few years has involved a slow rebuild into a rugby athlete again.
What has been the biggest highlight in your sporting career so far, not just Rugby?
Becoming a father to my three daughters and getting married to my best friend.
Can you tell us something about you that not many people may know?
Well, I just started my 2nd year of Uni at USQ. I'm doing a Bachelor of Science, Majoring in Psychology and minoring in in Physics. I own a Dobsonian telescope and enjoy stargazing. I also love smoking food on my Kamado Joe! I'm BBQ'n something (i.e. brisket, ribs, pulled pork, fish) every weekend at least
Can you give some advice to aspiring players, both boys and girls?
Try your hand at a variety of sports and exercises, even if you don't feel comfortable doing it at first. There is usually a lot of physical skills and mental experiences that you can gain from the differing activities, all of which will make you better at whichever task you choose to focus on most.
Thank you very much Karmichael for answering those questions for the blog.
Rugby Rule of the Week #3 - The Scrum
When a minor infringement or stoppage occurs, a scrum is one of the ways that play can resume. Scrums have a habit of breaking up the play, making things more "interesting". More than half of the team is used in the scrum, including the scrum-half (#9), who feeds the ball in, and usually out.
Have a look at this handy diagram to see how it all works:
[Source: http://www.rugbyhow.com/rugby-positions.html]
The scrum-half puts the ball in, the teams push against each other... and basically... when the ball pops out, the game carries on.
Watch, for example, Argentina demolish the All Blacks scrum here:
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