Rebels backrower Isi Naisarani putting his hand up for Wallabies selection
As one Izzy exits stage left, the Wallabies are crossing their fingers that another – Isi Naisarani – becomes the No.8 solution they have long craved, starting with this year’s World Cup.
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As one Izzy exits stage left, the Wallabies are crossing their fingers that another – Isi Naisarani – becomes the No.8 solution they have long craved.
The quietly-spoken Melbourne Rebels forward has the imposing physical presence to be a hit by the time the World Cup rolls around in September with his 1.95m frame.
There’s 110kg-plus of Fijian running power, work ethic and handling dexterity for Wallabies coach Michael Cheika to harness in a balanced backrow.
The Reds have to worry about him first on Friday night in Melbourne.
You have to stall his big ball-carries because they so often get the Rebels rolling on the front foot, which is when master schemers Will Genia and Quade Cooper excel.
His 17 ball-carries for 93m and 10 tackles against the Hurricanes last weekend were typical of a regular Naisarani day at the office.
It’s how he puts that work together, too.
Rugby Central looked at 20 photos of Naisarani for this story and in 15 of them there were two opposition defenders, with varying grimaces, trying to pull him down.
Big bodies like that create gaps for the fast men nearby.
Naisarani accompanied the Wallabies on tour late last year but was not allowed to play.
Only last month did the Suva-born backrower clear his three-year residency requirement to finally be eligible for the Wallabies.
“My main goal is to be part of the Wallabies squad and I think I’m a step closer to that jersey,” Naisarani said.
He will be one of the few uncapped projects in Cheika’s squad this year, which means all he learned about the team’s patterns of play and personnel on tour was invaluable.
It has been a varied journey already.
He was under the Reds’ noses playing for Souths and Brisbane City in 2016 but grabbing a lucrative deal with the Western Force trumped an academy-level offer from Queensland.
He switched to the Brumbies last year before another move to the Rebels.
What Naisarani offers is the potential to field a balanced Wallabies backrow. Imagine that.
Imagine Naisarani-Pocock-Luke Jones or Naisarani-Michael Hooper-Jack Dempsey as backrow trios, or Cheika going with Naisarani-Pooper?
“Isi is incredibly humble, incredibly coachable, he’s tough and he’s made waves in just a few seasons of Super Rugby,” Rebels coach Dave Wessels said.
“The Brumbies really developed his lineout skills last year and he’s made big improvements with us on his top-end speed and ability for repeat efforts.
“You’re seeing a young guy with plenty of upside ahead and if you’re asking me if I’d have Isi in a Wallabies’ backrow, the answer is ‘yes’.
“He’s ready for that, hungry for it and it’s a huge motivation for him to go to the World Cup.”
It’s up to Cheika now whether Naisarani is finally the figure who forces him to chose between Pocock and Hooper for a starting spot in the backrow.
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