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Wallabies starlet Izaia Perese reveals why he re-signed with the Waratahs

(Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Winning a Rugby World Cup is the end goal but repaying the NSW Waratahs for their “huge gamble” was the overriding factor in Izaia Perese’s decision to remain in Sydney long-term.

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One of the most exciting prospects in Australian rugby, Perese has committed to the Waratahs until at least the end of 2024 and looms as a Wallabies X-factor at next year’s global showpiece in France.

But that’s merely the pot at the end of the rainbow for the powerhouse centre, with Perese intent on helping the Waratahs to a Super Rugby Pacific title before then.

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The 24-year-old says he’s “forever grateful” to the Tahs for handing him a lifeline back in Australia while he was plying his trade in France after being sacked by the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos in 2020.

Perese pleaded guilty to supplying a dangerous drug in September 2019, leaving his professional football career in tatters.

“The opportunity the Tahs gave me when I first came from France, they took a huge risk because they genuinely didn’t know what they were getting with me,” Perese said on Tuesday.

“The headlines I made before leaving France was drugs charges.

“So they took a huge gamble on me and I’m forever grateful for that and that played a huge factor in why I wanted to stay and hence why I’m doing my very best week in, week out is the least I can do to give back and try to make this team great again.”

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One of the form players in the country since joining the Waratahs at the start of 2021, Perese says he couldn’t be happier at Daceyville.

“It all stems back to being France and knowing what I had taken for granted and then coming back here and being in an environment where it’s such an accepting environment regardless of what’s happened in the past,” he said.

“And then going onwards with such a great bunch of lads where there’s no egos involved, where everyone loves to learn from each other.

“We all help each other, we all hold each other accountable and we’re all great mates off the field.

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“So we’re such a tight-knit crew. The coaching staff as well.

“I genuinely believe we are building something pretty special here at the Waratahs under Darren Coleman, Jason Gilmore, Chris Whitaker, and Pauli Taumoepeau.

“And I just want to stick around because it’s my happy place.”

A former Redcliffe Dolphins player, Perese said talk of reuniting with Wayne Bennett in the NRL was just that.

“We had definitely opened up shop when we were sort of looking but in a sense there was no serious talk,” he said.

“That was just a huge rumour.”

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H
Hellhound 48 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

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