Rona confident he can step into Wallabies no.13 jersey

Tue, Aug 7, 2018, 5:06 AM
Iain Payten
by Iain Payten
He made his Wallabies debut from the bench in the corresponding game last year and Curtis Rona says he's ready to step up to a Bledisloe starting spot if called upon by Cheika. Rona's in a race to fill the vacant shoes of Kerevi and Kuridrani.

Curtis Rona says he is ready to play outside centre at Test level and he hopes the combination with Waratahs teammates Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau can help him win the Wallabies’ no. 13 jersey for the opening Bledisloe Cup game.

Rona is the only experienced outside centre left in the Wallabies squad after Tevita Kuridrani and Samu Kerevi were both lost for the season due to serious pec and biceps injuries respectively. 

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has nominated Rona and utility back Reece Hodge as his front-runners to step into the role for the first clash with New Zealand at ANZ Stadium on August 18.

Rona has played on the wing in his three Tests so far, and that’s where Cheika has seen him best deployed in international rugby so far. He started on the wing in the first Bledisloe Cup last year and was asked to do defensive work in the mid-field. 

Rona was dropped to the bench the following week.

Speaking at the Wallabies’ Cessnock camp on Tuesday, however, Rona said he was confident he could handle a move into the centres for the national team a year on.

The Waratahs showed off their attack against the Sunwolves. Photo: Getty Images“I just got into camp, so I haven’t spoken too much to the coaches about it, I’m just trying to settle in,” Rona said.

“Obviously there’s that 13 position up for grabs, and I’ll be hoping to get a spot.

“I enjoy (playing centre), especially at the Tahs with “KB” (Beale) and “Nard” (Foley), the combination we’ve had all year has been pretty good for me personally.

“I’ve been enjoying my second year at the Tahs and they’ve taught me a lot, I’ve taken a lot of lessons from them and it makes it easier having them.

“All I can do is train hard and make sure I get all my details and know all my roles. And then the rest will look after itself. Whoever gets that position, I think is going to be ready.”

Rona began the season on the wing for the Waratahs but moved into the midfield halfway through the season, and grew steadily into the role as NSW pushed towards the finals.

He had a poor game against the Brumbies, in a Waratahs’ loss that effectively nobbled NSW’s chances of making a final, and Rona later labelled it his worst game of the season.

But the former NRL player responded well in their win over the Highlanders in the quarter-final a week later, and was solid in the Tahs’ semi-final defeat to the Lions, too.

Rona said he wasn’t looking backwards, however, and said he felt like he’d figured out the defensive assignments of no. 13 - a role some call the hardest on the field.

“I feel like I’ve nailed it down, coming from the Tahs into the Wallabies there’s always different defensive systems, but that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 48 hours, trying to get my head around the different system and how it works,” Rona said.

“That’s what the challenge is going to be.”

The Wallabies take on the All Blacks on Saturday August 18 at ANZ Stadium, kicking off at 8:05pm AEST, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Buy tickets here.

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