Rugby 2022: Samu Kerevi reveals why quitting Australian rugby proved to be a blessing

Samu Kerevi thought his Wallabies career was over after his defection to Japanese rugby, but the move proved to be a blessing not only for himself and his family, but the Wallabies too.

Samu Kerevi. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

“I thought Australian rugby gave up on me”.

Funny how blessings come disguised.

When Samu Kerevi signed for Japanese club Suntory in 2019, he looked at his Wallabies jersey and realised he’d never wear it again.

“I knew it was over,” said the bulldozing centre, who lines up against England in Perth on Saturday night.

“It wasn’t a decision I made overnight, it wasn’t a decision I made over three months, it actually took six to nine months from the first time since Suntory first talked about coming over.”

Samu Kerevi thought his Wallabies career was over after signing with Sunory in 2019. Picture: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Kerevi signed a three-year contract worth a reported $3.6 million.

“I spoke to my family a lot, I lost a lot of sleep before I made the decision in mid-2019,” he said. “Things weren’t working out in terms of contracting here in Australia, I knew I was giving that up.

“But what I was getting in return, obviously financially it would have been a lot better and I’m not going to shy away from saying it, it was so much better than what I was getting offered in Australia.

“In the early stages of the contracting talk, there was nothing coming close to it.”

Rugby Australia’s counteroffer would have left Kerevi more than $1 million worse off.

And so his Wallaby days were done.

“I thought I gave up on it, and to be honest, I thought Australian rugby gave up on me as well in terms of coming back and the [eligibility] ruling,” Kerevi said.

Samu Kerevi secured a rich three-year deal at Suntory. Picture: Kenta Harada/Getty Images

“I was happy to see the young guys grow, happy to see the boys perform at Super Rugby, especially the Reds boys, I was happy for all that pass.

“I had to put my ambitions aside and think about my family’s future, financially, and getting time with my brother, and also I had to put myself first.

“I haven’t said this out loud but I took a lot of pay cuts earlier in my career, basically every time I re-signed I was taking pay cuts. And that was fine with me because I wanted to be there and try to win a title with those boys.

“We fell short for a few years, and I had to make a decision for me, not trying to keep anyone else happy.”

But RA changed Wallabies eligibility criteria last year. The Giteau Law that meant only players with at least 60 Test caps could be called up from overseas.

That was modified to 30 Tests, and Kerevi – sitting on 33 caps and having a stint with Australia’s Sevens team at the Tokyo Olympics – was suddenly eligible.

Samu Kerevi played for the Australian Sevens team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Picture: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Not only did he return, Kerevi proved to be one of the most destructive players in world rugby in 2021 with outstanding performances in five internationals that had the Wallabies in a winning groove.

So he got his deserved salary in Japan, and his glorious Wallabies return, but also something more valuable than both.

“The biggest reason for moving over there [to Japan] and giving up my ambition of being a Wallaby was my brothers, especially my little brother,” Kerevi said. “I’ve spent more time with him in these last three years in Japan than in the 25 years of my life before that.”

Times were tough for the Kerevi family in Fiji.

Older brother Josua was raised by his grandparents, Samu was raised by his grandmother’s sister’s family, and younger brother Jone was raised by their mum and dad.

Kerevi followed his “mum and dad” to Solomon Islands aged six, before they relocated to Australia.

Josua moved to Japan after high school, while Jone remained in Fiji with the brothers’ parents. They both eventually signed to Japanese club Toyota Industries Shuttles.

Samu Kerevi with his brothers Jone and Josua in Tokyo.

“My older brother and I are really close, we experienced a lot growing up, but my little brother missed a lot of his childhood from me being a big bro, dealing with girls, dealing with bullies, and just hanging out and getting up to mischief,” Kerevi said.

“Now we do it in our 20s.

“We can sit at home for two days and laugh, I missed all that growing up.

“We play a lot of cards, our family is pretty competitive with cards.

“We go for feeds, camping trips, I never got to do that with my brother when we were young but these days, both my brothers are married and they come over with their wives and we hang out.

“It’s awesome. My heart is full. No amount of money is going to change that.”

Now, Kerevi wants to repay Australian rugby by helping them win the three-Test series against England, before rejoining the Sevens team for a Commonwealth Games medal tilt in Birmingham at the end of the month.

And he feels that Suntory has set him up for his best rugby.

Samu Kerevi is relishing his return to the Wallabies. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

Suntory’s director of rugby is none other than England coach Eddie Jones, while head coach Milton Haig is assisted by fellow Kiwi Jason O’Halloran, South African Jaco Pienaar, and Japanese duo Tahara Kotaro and Aoki Yusuke.

“I’ve become a more complete player playing in Japan, more than I was here in Australia,” Kerevi said.

“The coaches we have at Suntory, the freedom and the mindset, there is a big push for skill-set over there. Because the game is so fast, you have to make decisions a lot quicker than you do at Super level – I’m not saying that’s across the board.

“When I was at the Reds I was just that kid that wanted to run hard, that was my game, I didn’t use anything else until I went to Japan.

“At the back end of my Super days, from 2018 onwards and as I began playing for the Wallabies, I wanted to develop my kicking game. I saw 12s, they might not be the best ball-carriers but man, they’ve got some good passing skills, great kicking games.”

Originally published as Rugby 2022: Samu Kerevi reveals why quitting Australian rugby proved to be a blessing