Lealiifano can complete inspiring cancer comeback and play for Wallabies again this year: Larkham
TWO years ago Wallabies star Christian Lealiifano was stricken down by cancer. Then he beat it, recovered and resumed his professional career. Can he complete the journey by playing for his country again in 2018?
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WALLABIES backs coach Stephen Larkham wants Christian Lealiifano to complete his remarkable comeback from cancer and play for Australia again this year.
Lealiifano’s return from illness over the past two years has been already been inspirational, with the 30-year-old successfully overcoming leukaemia and resuming his professional career with the Brumbies and Ulster.
But Larkham wants Lealiifano to now also reignite his Wallabies career, which saw him play the last three Tests of a 19-Test tally against England in June of 2016. The cancer diagnosis was made just over a month later.
Lealiifano, who returned for the Brumbies in last year’s quarter-final before doing a six-month stint in Ireland, stormed out of the blocks in the Brumbies’ opening win over the Sunwolves last weekend.
He’ll lead the Brumbies against the Reds in Brisbane tonight and Larkham said there was no reason to believe his former Brumbies charge could not swiftly get back to his status as a Test-class footballer.
“There is no reason why that is not going to happen. I am not sure if you saw his Ulster games as well but he played really consistent football and really good football over there,” Larkham said.
“There is no reason why we are not going to be able to see that again. He certainly has all the skills there.
“And the thing that Christian really adds is his leadership in and around the players on the field and then off the field, in terms of discipline.
“He has gone through a huge change, in the way that he sees life. But I think that transfers really nicely across to the rugby field as well.”
With a try-assist, a linebreak, a linebreak-assist and 68 run-metres, Lealiifano helped the Brumbies scrape past a determined Sunwolves team. Time and a few upsets will show just big a banana-skin that away trip to Tokyo will ultimately prove in the Aussie conference.
As his Brumbies coach, Larkham was a major source of support for Lealiifano during his recovery. Larkham publicly set him the goal of returning for the Brumbies in 2017, knowing it would help motivate Lealiifano.
The Wallabies assistant said he’d already sat down and had a similar chat about getting back to the national squad.
“Those conversations have been had,” Larkham said.
“We are not trying to be biased, particularly coming from the different provinces we have. But yeah, we try and get around to all the players and be as honest as possible, and that conversation has certainly been had with Christian — about the aspiration to get him back into the national side this year, best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario, it’s the World Cup year.
“The focus for those guys is to really not think too far ahead obviously. It’s about putting in good performances for your Super Rugby team and on the back of that, you can be selected for the national side.”
“The return of Lealiifano into the Wallabies ranks would not just be on warm-and-fuzzy grounds, however. His skill as a playmaker has been sorely missed during a time of threadbare depth at five-eighth for the Wallabies.
With Quade Cooper out of favour, last year Australia even started Reece Hodge at no. 10 against Japan.
Lealiifano would not only solve the issue of who is Bernard Foley’s back-up, he would help lift Foley’s game with some rare competition.
“That’s definitely one position, and there are a few positions we have identified, where we need to find a little bit more depth,” Larkham conceded.
“So it’s good to see him back in Australian rugby, that’s for sure.”