Wallabies v Argentina: Samu Kerevi uses Ma’a Nonu as inspiration in taking game to next level

Wallabies star Samu Kerevi sees a former New Zealand World Cup winner as the ideal role model as he strives to take his game to the next level ‘by growing my passing and kicking.’

Samu Kerevi is looking forward to facing Argentina at Suncorp.

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Samu Kerevi is using Ma’a Nonu’s evolution as a great All Black World Cup-winner to drive him to become a better all-round inside centre for the Wallabies.

You never want to lose Kerevi’s battering ram assets but the more agile footwork for deception and smarter offloads have all been built on practice.

Passing improvements and even his kicking are always being worked on and not by accident.

“Ma’a is someone I’ve always looked up to so I understood when ‘Thorny’ (Reds coach Brad Thorn) used him as an example for improving my game,” Kerevi said.

Samu Kerevi is looking forward to facing Argentina at Suncorp.

Samu Kerevi with eight-year-old Sifa Helu at the Wallabies fan day.

“I thought I was similar in terms of running the ball but, obviously, I’m still chasing what he’s done by growing my passing, kicking and seeing those different pictures (in attack).”

Selling the shift from outside centre to Reds No.12 wasn’t an instant win for Thorn.

“Thorny and I had back-to-back chats and I wasn’t real happy to shift,” Kerevi said.

“Now, I really enjoy it.”

Part of Kerevi’s hesitance was he’d grown up watching a certain style of playmaking inside centre like Kurtley Beale.

“I was used to seeing 12s play that playmaking role and I didn’t think I’d play a lot for the Wallabies at inside centre,” Kerevi said.

“I’ve got my own different mix (of skills) for it now.”

His smart offload in the Wallabies first try was on top of 17 runs for 140m against South Africa.

Ma'a Nonu won the 2015 World Cup with New Zealand.

Kerevi is certain to be there for Saturday night’s Test against Argentina at Suncorp Stadium.

The case for big boppers Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani in the centres is simple.

Pull cute moves with their go-forward first and you can open up a defence, pull the same play behind the advantage line and you get smashed like in 2018.

The Wallabies did look a playmaker short last weekend which builds the case for Beale to come in at fullback.

Certainly, flyhalf Bernard Foley was smashed in an early play by 110kg Springboks centre Andre Esterhuizen, when he read easily that there was only one ball-player to target.