Wallaby Genia's plan to combat Springboks at the World Cup
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Former Wallabies captain Will Genia has delivered a blunt assessment of what it will take to topple the reigning world champions South Africa.
The former Wallabies captain paints a clear picture of what the future should look like: a powerful, imposing midfield built to win collisions and dominate territory.
At the centre of that vision is Samu Kerevi – a player Genia believes remains one of the most destructive forces in world rugby. Despite being absent from the Wallabies setup since Australia’s emphatic 52-20 victory over Wales in 2024, Kerevi’s form in Japan Rugby League One has kept him firmly in the conversation.
And with the 2027 World Cup looming on home soil, Genia sees the 32-year-old as a potential cornerstone.
“You can imagine having someone like him at 12 and at Suaalii at 13. You’ve got size, you’ve got power, you’ve got skill, finesse and ability all packaged in one centre pairing,” Genia told AAP from Japan.
“Because when I look at Test rugby, size matters. It’s done a bit of a cycle now where ball in play isn’t as high. The ball-in-play time, it’s shorter, sharper bursts, which lends itself to bigger athletes and more power athletes than it used to.”
An influential member of Australia’s 2015 World Cup Final line-up and the Wallabies outfit that finished third in 2011, Genia believes it’s no coincidence South Africa and France are “probably the two best sides in the world right now”.
“They use their physicality and their presence in the game to be able to win collisions and play on top of teams,” he said.
“So you can imagine having a team with a backline like Kerevi, Joseph, ‘Marky’ Mark [Nawaqanitawase]. The size they would offer them and the impact they would have. That’d be awesome to see.”
Genia said Kerevi needs to return to Australia for a full pre-season and intense lead-up to a World Cup next year.
“He’s of that world-class calibre, but it’s important to be playing Super Rugby,” said Genia, who is serving as skills coach for the top-of-the-table Kintetsu Liners in Japan’s League One division two.
“And I’m not saying Japanese rugby isn’t quality rugby. It is. Just in terms of the intensity that you face week in, week out in Super Rugby is second to none.
“So you’d want him to have that intensity under his belt leading into a World Cup.”
Additional source: AAP
