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Brumbies star Christian Lealiifano’s month-long break has him prepared to face the Rebels, but an international return might take a little longer.
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The 30-year-old will take the field for the first time in a month when he leads the Brumbies out against the Rebels on Saturday.
Lealiifano gave himself the four-week rest to ensure he looks after himself following his successful recovery from leukemia.
The 19-test Wallaby revealed details of a frank conversation he had with specialists, which put his recovery into perspective.
“When I stepped back and looked at my health and saw the specialists a bit more, they [made me] a bit more cautious of being aware of when I will be tired and understanding that I will be,” Lealiifano said at the Brumbies’ captain’s run.
“I’m on a one-year-old blood system running around in a 30-year-old’s body and trying to play at a high level.
“Once they gave that to me in that context, it made me realise I need to look after my body a little bit more.
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“Definitely the last month – the last three or four weeks – have been really good.
“I’ve been able to work on my health and I’m really glad we have done that.”
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Lealiifano admitted feeling ‘a bit flat’ leading up to his last match before his rest period.
“I was feeling alright and took a bit of a downward turn,” he said.
“I was feeling a bit flat throughout training and a bit more tired than usual.
“We just had to find a time somewhere and as hard as it was with where the team was sitting, I think it was a big decision from Dan to give me a break.
“But they’ve given me time to refresh and now I’m feeling really, really good for it.”
“When you get back in you’re full of excitement and that’s one thing I said from the start – you have to always enjoy each day,” he said.
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Lealiifano said that though he feels good to be back playing with the Brumbies, he won’t be adding to his international tally just yet.
“I think it’s a stretch too far,” Lealiifano said of Australia’s June test series against Ireland.
“Coming back and playing here [Super Rugby] has been a bonus for me already and I wouldn’t quite put myself in a position to say I’m close to getting picked”.
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