Super Rugby 2015 season: Ben Daley’s one-man mission to restore rugby’s integrity

REDS prop Ben Daley has launched an admirable one-man mission to help restore rugby's integrity after it was dragged through the mud by last year's distasteful Kurtley Beale-Di Patston saga.

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 14: Ben Daley of St.George Queensland Reds during a Reds training session at Northwood School on March 14, 2012 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Steve Haag / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

REDS prop Ben Daley has launched an admirable one-man mission to help restore rugby's integrity after it was dragged through the mud by last year's distasteful Kurtley Beale-Di Patston saga.

Just how much the code's black eye irked players as much as fans has become apparent for the first time, with Daley's headgear initiative to highlight the positive community aspects of the game he loves.

Daley will face the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Friday night wearing headgear in a special HeartKids design.

It will raise awareness of the charity that improves the lives of kids with heart disease, ahead of Saturday’s annual Sweetheart Day.

Thanks to Brisbane gear-maker Impact Rugby, Daly will repeat the effort with different logo headgear created for 16 charities, to mark each round of the Super Rugby campaign.

“Rugby's integrity took a hit last year with the public, which was very disappointing to see,” the former Wallaby said yesterday.

Ben Daley showing off his charity headgear.

“I wanted to help us get back to the true values of rugby like goodwill, camaraderie, passion, loyalty and tight-knit community, because by and large the game is full of great larrikins and gentlemen.

“It’s a game for thugs played by gentlemen.”

His Be Great, Do Good campaign is not a marketing ploy created at head office but something the law student hatched himself over dinner late last year, with fiancee Bryanna McDermott and manager Kylie Byrne.

Daley rejected that it was a direct reaction to Beale — a former Australian Schoolboys teammate who was fined for his ugly text message affair; the messy drama around the exit of former Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie; the sordid incident unfolding so publicly or the handling of the drama.

“This is not about a particular player or person at all,” he said.

“Rugby was hammered for a bunch of reasons last year and I hate to see that when the goodwill for the community is still so strong in the game.”

James Horwill and Ben Daley show off the Super Rugby trophy after the Reds won the 2011 competition.

Daley picked up a new nickname, “The Riddler”, last Friday night when he trialled against the Crusaders in headgear bearing question marks to preview his initiative.

Spilling blood for the Reds cause would not be a first for Daley, who expects a full-on clash upfront against the Brumbies.

If Karmichael Hunt is to be flyhalf, he will know what to expect from returning flanker David Pocock.

“It will be a tough reception in Canberra, for sure,” Daley said.

“The goal for a No. 7 like Pocock is to take the No. 10 out of the game, so it’s our job, as forwards, to make sure he gets nowhere near him.”

Prop Sam Talakai, abrasive lock Marco Kotze and former All Blacks backrower Adam Thomson will be the new firepower for the Reds pack.

South African Kotze’s zest for ball-running and that same skill within game-breaker Thomson are a vital part of lifting an area of the game where the Queenslanders were found out badly last year.

Thomson is yet to play a minute with his new Reds teammates but his world-class pedigree guarantees he will be a major factor in the important quest to make a winning start to the season.

Originally published as Super Rugby 2015 season: Ben Daley’s one-man mission to restore rugby’s integrity