Will Genia
Scrumhalf
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Profile
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Height:
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174cm
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Weight:
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84kg
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Date Of Birth:
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17/01/1988
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Place of Birth:
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PNG
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Rugby Career
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Senior Club:
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Norths
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Stats
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Provincial Rugby Caps:
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40
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Provincial Rugby Points:
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38 (7t, 1p)
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Provincial Rugby Debut:
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Nov 2006 v Japan
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Super Rugby Caps:
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39
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Super Rugby Points:
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38 (7t, 1p)
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Super Rugby Debut:
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2007 vs Hurricanes, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
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Test Rugby Caps:
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22
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Test Rugby Points:
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20 (4t)
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Test Rugby Debut:
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2009 v All Blacks, Auckland
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A Qld U19 scrumhalf in 2006, PNG-born Will was picked straight out of colts to join the Reds in their pre-season campaign, before he had even played an open grade game in club rugby.
Will made his Super 14 debut in 2007 as a rookie and by the end of the season had established himself in the squad as a player to watch. He built on that in 2008 and was rewarded with a place in the iRB Junior World Cup in Wales, where he was the first choice scrumhalf for the Australian U20 side and was voted Man of the Match against England, despite being on the losing side.
A hand injury brought a premature end to his 2009 S14 season but Wallaby Coach Robbie Deans remembered the form Will had shown before then and selected him for the Wallaby squad as soon as he was fit enough to play. Made his Test debut in Auckland in a brief cameo against the All Blacks but showed enough to confirm his readiness for Test rugby.
Made his run-on debut in the Wallaby No 9 jersey in Australia's win over South Africa at Suncorp Stadium in 2009 and made the jersey his own on the end of year Grand Slam tour of the UK, where he was Man of the Match against England.
Will continued his strong form for the Wallabies in the 2010 Super Rugby season, as he cemented himself as one of the more influencial players in world rugby. After the Reds lost inspirational captain James Horwill to injury after just two games, Will took over the duties with relative ease, leading the Reds to their best Super Rugby finish since 2002. He won the 2010 Pilecki Medal as Players' player and also won the votes of fans via the People's Choice award.
Strongly built and with a bullet pass, Will made giant strides in his running game in 2010, finishing the year with more linebreaks than any other player in the competition. While only scoring two tries himself, Will was often the architect of many of the Reds 43 tries in 2010.
Away from rugby Will has an interest in sports management.