Barbarian Wycliff Palu escapes Japan typhoon to take on Wallabies

WYCLIFF Palu found himself in a pray room at Narita Airport trying to avoid typhoon Lan. When he finally landed in Australia he realised his prayers hadn’t been answered.

Wycliff Palu watches on at Barbarians training. Picture: Phil Hillyard

A RAGING typhoon couldn’t deter Wycliff Palu from playing one last game at Allianz Stadium but the strength of a supposedly “weak” Wallabies B-team was enough to give the big no. 8 second thoughts.

Palu is set to pull on the boots as a Barbarian in Sydney on Saturday afternoon after getting a call-up from his current home in Japan, where the 35-year-old plays for Toyota.

Palu jumped at the chance to play against the Wallabies but the trip down was no easy task. The ex-Wallaby no. 8 was forced to sleep on the ground and spend almost a day in Narita Airport after typhoon Lan hit Japan early this week.

Wycliff Palu watches on at Barbarians training. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“It got me just before I left,” Palu said.

“I was in the plane ready to go and they said “nah, everyone has to get out”. We were the last flight that night and all the hotels around the airport were booked out.

“So I actually found myself the prayer room, it had a bit of carpet in there. It was warm. I said a few prayers and went to sleep. But then I got kicked out by security, saying I couldn’t sleep there. Only pray.”

After a day’s wait, Palu eventually made to Australia and joined the Barbarians in Lismore on Tuesday.

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But the prayers have kept coming for Palu after he sized up the quality of the Wallabies’ supposed second-stringers for Saturday’s match.

For a lot of his 58-Test career between 2006-15, the Wallabies’ depth would have been exposed by resting almost an entire first XV. Not anymore, says Palu.

“When I came into the BaaBaas, I thought ‘oh, we’ll play a pretty weak side in the Wallabies’,” he said.

“But when you look at the side, the squad that they picked for it, there’s not much weakness there. They have a lot more depth now and that’s a good thing for the Wallabies.

Alan Jones is on a mission to beat the Wallabies. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“A 35-year-old comes to play for the BaaBaas on a Saturday afternoon, you think ‘oh I will play a few young guys and have a bit of fun’ and then you look at the squad they picked and you think ‘holy f***’.”

Palu will be pleased just to get a game of footy after spending most of the year on the sidelines at Toyota. New coach Jake White didn’t register Palu as one of the permitted six foreign players, so he has been training without playing for almost a year.

He spent the off-season back in Austraia and almost made a return for Manly in the Shute Shield this year before being called back to Japan. Juan Smith’s recent retirement will likely see Palu registered again soon.

Quade Cooper running the show at training. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Palu, who played 11 seasons for the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium, sat out training on Thursday but is looking forward to having a run against the young brigade who replaced him in the NSW backrow — Ned Hanigan and Jack Dempsey.

“I don’t think I will be bashing guys. I will be out there running away from a few of the blokes. That’s all I am trying to do,” Palu joked.

“It will be interesting. I have kept a close eye watching the Wallabies. There are a lot of young guys coming through.

“We have a fair team, too. It’ll be good to play with them. Should be fun.”

Originally published as Barbarian Wycliff Palu escapes Japan typhoon to take on Wallabies