From time to time, we put together a wrap of our members in the media; who’s been saying what, when and where, and why.
It’s a great way to recognise the achievements of RUPA’s members, both on and off the field, and we’re pleased to present May’s first edition of Look Who’s Talking Now!
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We start this week in Brisbane, where the Ben Matwijow story gets a good airing courtesy of this interview with Sam Worthington. If you’re unfamiliar with second rower Matwijow’s story, it’s a ripper in regards to his perseverance; the 26 year old finally earning his first Super Rugby contract in December last year, the fortunate recipient of a tough situation at the Reds when Kane Douglas suffered a serious knee injury in the Rugby World Cup Final.
Matwijow has consistently starred in Sydney’s Shute Shield with Northern Suburbs over recent seasons, and then with NSW Country Eagles in the 2014 Buildcorp NRC. In 2015, he took a different direction and went across to New Zealand to play for Canterbury in the ITM Cup, and it was there that Reds scouts spotted him and decided he was ready to step up.
He’s played every game this season for the Reds, starting the last three, and this weekend he returns to Christchurch to face the Crusaders for the first time at a ground which he called home last winter.
“It is good to be back,” Matwijow told foxsports.com.au from Christchurch. “I think I’ve played more games there than Suncorp (Stadium) so there is an element of familiarity with it.”
“That (time with Canterbury) probably triggered it all into motion,” Matwijow said, referring to his maiden Super Rugby contract. “I’ve got coming over here to thank for pushing on to the Super stuff. My game progressed a lot and I probably added a bit more of an edge to my game as well.”
Somebody else returning to familiar surrounds this week is Wallaby and Western Force back rower Ben McCalman, whose side head to Tokyo to take on the Sunwolves. He’ll be hoping for the same success that he had on his past two visits to the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium; McCalman was with Panasonic who defeated Toshiba in the Japanese Top League final at the same venue last year, before then beating Teikyo University in the All-Japan Championship at the same ground.
“I’m excited to get back here,” McCalman told The West Australian’s Nick Taylor. “This is certainly a must-win for us, but the Sunwolves are a very inspirational side that plays for each other. They are physical and rip in for each other.
“The biggest thing I found when I played here was how quickly the Japanese sides like to play. They can move the ball very fast and have a lot of speed on the edges. We’ve seen they can hold the ball for multiple phases and build pressure, but they also like to keep the ball in play a lot and run from anywhere, even their own 22. They have had a win now and they will be confident. The crowd is one of the biggest things. They are very passionate about their side and they love watching a good game of Rugby.”
Fellow Wallabies back rower Sean McMahon gets to have a rest this weekend as the Rebels enjoy a bye, and while he’s managed to fit some semi-naked bungy jumping into his mid-season holiday McMahon is also focusing on ways to continue to improve his game.
“I definitely think that’s (pilfering) a big area that I need to work on,” McMahon told Christy Doran. “I probably pride myself on my ball carry and my defence around the tackle, but probably the thing that is missing in my game, that I’m trying to improve on every week and I’m practising at training, is probably that breakdown.
“The opportunity to, when I need to, pilfer or read the play and isolate over the top.”
McMahon has been taking inspiration from a Wallaby teammate, and says he doesn’t mind what number is on his back after wearing 7 in Melbourne for most of the season thus far.
“Poey (David Pocock) is pretty much, I’d say, at the present, the best at the breakdown in regards to pilfering because he’s so strong,” McMahon said. “Over at the World Cup I was just keeping a close eye to things that he was doing, and watching his game and trying to integrate some of that into my own game. Obviously I’m not as strong over the ball as he is, but I’m just trying to build that strength and reading that he does, so to develop and integrate into my own game.
“I’m training to be put wherever I can, to be put in that backrow. I’m trying to be versatile, where if they need me in any of those positions I can do it. Obviously I’ve been playing in that No 7 role this year, and I do see that as a position I like to play, but I’m always happy wherever I fit in the back-row. My first two years at the Rebels I was at six and I enjoyed it there as well. I haven’t really got a favourite position, and then on top of that I want to learn and be able to play at No 8 and have that knowledge at the back of the scrum.”
Speaking of Pocock, he spoke to the Canberra Times’ Chris Dutton about the limited edition jersey the Brumbies will wear against the Bulls this weekend. The jersey has all the players’ Mum’s names printed on the chest, and Pocock is most supportive of the idea.
“Mum's coming to the game ... I think it's really special [to have her name on the jersey]," Pocock said. “You look at all of these athletes running around and it's taken a lot of sacrifice from the people around them – whether that's family or friends or a special person in their life who has helped them get to where they are.
"Being able to honour your mum in that way, I think it's really special. Mum was always the one dropping us at sport at 6am or picking us up at 5pm. She's spent her life running around after my brothers and I. I'm very grateful for her support and love over the year.”
Lovely words, David! Still in Canberra, and Pocock’s teammate Nigel Ah-Wong was this week named as an Ambassador for Motor Neurone Disease Australia, a cause very close to him.
Ah Wong's aunt Sese, 63, was diagnosed with the terminal neurological disease three years ago. The oldest sibling of 17 now needs 24-hour care, uses an iPad to communicate and is fed through a tube.
"I feel strongly about it ... and jumping on board is my way of letting people know about her story and help other people with similar stories," Ah Wong said. "People at her work started noticing some slur in her speech ... gradually she lost the ability to speak. She can no longer eat, she's fed through a tube.
"When you're diagnosed with MND you're usually given a two or 2½-year life expectancy. [Sese] is beyond that now, she's still being strong. At first it was sad, but it was a blessing in a way because it has brought our family closer together."
A wonderful cause and heartfelt words indeed from Nigel! On to the next topic, and there’s some great news surrounding Sharni Williams, Captain of the Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens team. Williams was seriously injured in the World Series event in Dubai late last year, putting her chances of featuring at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro at risk, however she’s back in full training ahead of the final event before Rio in Clermont-Ferrand in three weeks’ time.
Injuries have been something Williams has been managed to avoid for the majority of her career, having played in every World Series tournament since its inception in 2012. There have been some long days at rehab but Williams is thrilled to be back with the full squad.
"It's awesome to be back," she told Matt Lewis. "It's been a long time coming; you have your hiccups, your ups and downs, being in rehab has definitely taught me a lot of things, like being mentally tough, but it's made me a better person.
“The girls were awesome at helping me get through it and that's what we're about as a team, is helping each other being family. I get goose bumps every time I talk about it (the Olympics). You've got to get mentally prepared for that and the countdown is on, everyone is counting it down but we're here on the grind and that's what we’re about.”
From returning to full fitness to adjusting to the grind of Super Rugby, and two weeks on from his debut young home-grown Western Force hooker Harry Scoble told The West Australian’s Nick Taylor how he ended up playing Rugby in an interview earlier this week.
When Scoble told his dad he wanted to play Rugby because he was fed up getting scolded for being too rough in Auskick, his first question to his eight-year-old son was, “what’s Rugby?”
“It was under-eights and it was non-contact. I was putting tackles on and kept getting told off so I came home one afternoon and told dad I wanted to play Rugby,” Scoble said. “He said ‘what’s that. What’s Rugby?’ Dad is from Victoria and grew up with AFL. His uncle was Ted Whitten.”
“In junior Rugby I used to have to wear red headgear so mum could spot me, she could never tell where I was, but I think the hair is just as good now.”
He played No.8 until he was moved into the hooking role at under-13s.
“Dad and me are built pretty similar so I didn’t have much chance of any other position,” he said. “It’s like living a dream at the moment. I didn’t think it would come around this soon.”
And finally to Sydney, where Waratahs forward Dean Mumm has revealed that it was he who spread a mystery virus through the NSW camp on their successful two-match tour. Just before the Waratahs jetted off for Perth and then onto South Africa, Mumm realised he had caught a bug from his seven-month-old son Alfie.
Captain and man of the match Michael Hooper was one of the hardest hit, while fullback Andrew Kellaway and second-rower Will Skelton also had to be monitored closely in the lead-up to the game.
"It wasn't a great feeling to spread it around but I'll have a word to my son and sort him out," Mumm told Tom Decent. "It wasn't ideal, but what can you do though? You can try and limit it as much as you can. Regardless of anything else, the result was very pleasing. It's not an easy place to go and win."
Mumm's teammates have revealed he is copping his fair share of criticism since spreading his infection to the majority of the playing group.
"He's definitely known as 'The Host' around the team," said No.8 Jed Holloway. "He spread it while we were on the flight and all around the cabin and he got better mid-week. He was fine during the game. I didn't get it as bad as 'Hoops' and a couple of other guys, but it was a head cold and it blocked us up for a few days. We got there in the end. It wasn't the best thing but it didn't hinder us in any way."
