Meet the ripped Rebels halfback in contention for a maiden Wallabies call-up
Melbourne halfback Ryan Louwrens has caught the eye of Wallabies officials after his blistering start to the Super Rugby season - thanks in part to Australian legend Will Genia.
Signed to the Rebels for 2020, Louwrens has already been sought out about his plans beyond the season, with the Wallabies No.9 jumper up for grabs.
The 28-year-old Louwrens was born in South Africa but moved with his family to Australia in his teens.
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If he does break through to the national squad, some of the credit will go to his childhood hero Genia, who he worked alongside at Japanese club Kintetsu Liners last season.
"I learned a lot off (Genia) in Japan - we ended up sharing the match time," Louwrens said.
"He was very good in terms of helping all the No.9s and he's been there and done that so he's great to have around.
"He told me to rip in at the Rebels and back myself."
Incoming test coach Dave Rennie has spoken of his desire to pick from the ranks of Super Rugby, putting Louwrens in a battle with the Brumbies' Joe Powell, Waratah Jake Gordon and Reds' youngster Tate McDermott.
Louwrens was one of the Rebels' best in their breakthrough win over the Waratahs last round and is looking to back that up against the Sharks in Ballarat on Saturday afternoon.
He will have to do it without injured Wallabies five-eighth Matt Toomua (groin), with Andrew Deegan stepping in for his first start at 10.
"I was happy with my first start last round and hopefully I can continue to build on that and progress and have a good game," Louwrens told AAP.
"Andrew has come in seamlessly; he's a very good player and his communication is very good. He's a similar player to Matt Toomua, he's got a lot of flair and controls the game well."
He said the confidence gained playing in Japan has been key to his return to form after his career stalled at the Western Force following ACL ruptures in 2014 and 2017.
"I think it's staying injury-free," Louwrens said. "I had some bad injuries while I was at the Force and it was about finding my confidence again.
"I found that in Japan, getting my running game back to where I wanted it to be."
The Rebels beat the Durban-based Sharks on their last visit to Melbourne in 2018, their only success in seven matches.
- AAP
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I don’t think any coach or selector would ever rely on Blackadder being available for selection. I didn’t think it would be possible but he has easily eclipsed Ennor as they most injured player of all time. IMO a symptom of today’s game where players are required to carry at least 10kg of extra mass from when they first hit the scene in their early 20s. Some players respond well to this, maybe due to genetics allowing them to recover faster, or not having reached their peak natural weight yet, but for others the constant training to maintain their weight eats away at recovery time and they spend most of their careers injured.
Go to commentsThanks for the lesson Nick! I presume that targeting gaps is situational because if a ball carrier straightens the line they can't be allowed a gap to run into? It feels like you need depth if you're going to pass it wide and plenty of variety - straight running, kicks just in behind, cross kicks etc. BTW what an incredible bench Toulouse had this week. People complain about Leinster being stacked but they need to be at the very highest level.
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