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'Never too old to debut': Wallaby star's brother becomes the hero for the Fijian Drua
By AAP
Rob Valetini boasts a stack of Wallabies caps and is one of rugby's hottest prospects, but even he had to settle for the role of little brother on Saturday night.
Before his Brumbies claimed a third straight win, brother Kemu had produced a magical sporting moment, slotting a penalty goal after the siren to earn Fijian Drua a huge upset win against the Crusaders in his Super Rugby Pacific debut.
In memorable scenes, the packed crowd in Lautoka was in raptures celebrating their first win in Fiji since entering the competition last year.
For 28-year-old Kemu, it was the culmination of a lengthy journey to earn his debut, but also his chance to start a new chapter in his domestic competition.
Brother Rob, 24, admitted it was a special family moment, seeing Kemu shine in their heritage nation, in front of family and on a ground their father had played on in the past.
"He'll definitely be the favourite child now winning in Fiji … I'm just really happy for the family," Rob said.
"I was stoked just to see him get on. He was only on for about five minutes and got all the glory at the end there.
"I was definitely really happy for him. I called the parents after the game too and they were real happy.
"He's been on a long journey as well, through a lot of injuries and he's been around the same rugby scenes around the world."
Kemu spent a season at the Melbourne Rebels development side before heading for a stint in Spain, but earned his Drua contract via impressive form last season at Shute Shield side Manly.
Rob said the moment was huge for Fijian rugby and admitted he dreaded having to travel there and tackle the Drua at some point in the future.
"You're never too old to debut," he said. "He (Kemu) got picked up just to go and train with the Drua, only on a training contract that was supposed to end in January.
"Kids growing up in Fiji now have a pathway to go through instead of going overseas to France or Japan, and the Drua is only going to get stronger with all the kids wanting to play there.
"It's probably the last place you want to play, Fiji, in the heat, in front of that crowd.
"It's always going to be a tough ask to go and play there. Lucky we don't have them there (this season)."
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Latest Comments
No just because the personal is much better than last year. I've shown no antagonism of Crusader players, you must be confusing me with someone else.
I have critized Razor for picking players he knows occasionally?
I said I'm not surprised because of his style, he's more a grinder player like Cane, not going to show up on peoples radar until you see how bad the other choices are. This year players like Clarke have been on fire and just show a bit more.
Are you one of those posters continually taking it easy on Razor because he doesn't have his Crusaders stars available? Do you think the rugby world is going to up to him suddenly once Mo'unga returns? lol
Go to commentsJohn you have been beating this drum for a couple of years, if you get proven right get back to us.
The last recent and decent Aussie coach was Ewen McKenzie, he was undermined and forced out by a couple of slimy Aussie players who were given a free pass when they should have been disciplined.
So our history since McQueen is very checkered and it seems to make little difference whether we have an Aussie coach or a Kiwi coach. The players have been entitled for a long time and we had to hit bottom to get them back into reality and to stop thinking it is all about them.
Cheika was an OK coach but his 'go our and destroy the opposition' tactic worked for a while and then didn't.
Please give me a list of great Aussie coaches that I have missed.
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