Henry Speight says he is refreshed and ready to show what he’s learned from a year in the Australian rugby sevens program as he and touring roommate Sefa Naivalu stake their claims for Wallabies selection.
The Fijian-born wingers are fighting for a likely bench spot in the Rugby Championship clash against an out-of-form South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday (Sunday morning AEST).
Speight hasn’t played a Test since last year’s World Cup pool game against Uruguay, having set his sights on the Rio Olympics immediately after the tournament.
The 28-year-old’s dream was shattered by a medial ligament strain approximately two months out from the event – but now fully fit and recovered, Speight said it was still a “worthwhile” experience.
“I can say that I really took a lot out of that and can’t thank the Australian sevens program enough,” Speight told reporters on Tuesday in Johannesburg.
“Coming back, the body’s in good nick, the transition hasn’t been too hard, which is pretty good.
“I’m happy to be back in the fold, in the Wallabies camp and hopefully I can get a run with my roomie.”
Naivalu, 24, finally became eligible to represent Australia on Monday, having waited three long years to fulfill residency requirements.
In choosing to represent the Wallabies, he also turned down the chance to win gold with Fiji’s Olympic sevens team – a decision he says he is well and truly at peace with.
“I guess there’s a lot of reason to it. Playing for Australia was part of my dream,” Naivalu said.
“If I get that opportunity, I’ll take it. I won’t hesitate or question it or never regret anything.
“I’ll give everything I can give for Australia.”
Both players, and Naivalu in particular, offer raw speed – a quality the Wallabies are sorely lacking at the moment, despite solid recent performances from incumbents Reece Hodge and Dane Haylett-Petty, who each made their international debuts this year and neither of whom are natural wingers.
Naivalu famously clocked a 10.5sec 100m sprint as a schoolboy and is arguably one of the fastest men in Australian rugby.
Coach Michael Cheika has included him in numerous training camps this year but Naivalu is none the wiser if he will get a run at Loftus Versfeld, where the Wallabies have never won before.
“He’s difficult to read at the moment. I’m just going to wait and hopefully he’ll give me a message or call,” he said.
Paul
Guest
There is more to a quality winger than just pace. Speight had plenty of those other attributes in spades during the 2012, 2013 seasons and enough pace. I hope people aren't expecting Supa Sef to solve world hunger.
nmpcart
Guest
Speight at his peak was very good for the Brumbies but has never looked anything special for the Wallabies. Whether that is due to injuries I don't know, as Paul said there was a lot of hype around him being eligible but once he was - nothing. In the Sydney or Wellington 7s (can't recall which one he was in) he looked all at sea - I put that down to adapting and wondered if with his plan to mix 7s and SR he would have enough time to adapt. Injury put paid to that but I'm not sure h would have got there. I really hope for his sake that he can recapture the form that he did have before he was eligible but I'm surprised to see him picked with no recent track record of playing well - wasn't he used in the USA match on the way to the RWC in the centres and didn't go well and then I think didn't get used again in RWC games.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Speight was an awesome talent when he was at Waikato, quick, great on the ball, tackle and had a very good sense of timing. His knee injuries must have really taken their toll and I think he's clinging on to his pro career as a result these days. Looking at the player today he looks nothing like the Speight we saw playing for the Mooloos.
CUW
Guest
@ Hoy : since i dont watch NRC , cannot comment . but of the little i have seen him , i thought he was good. of course as i have said before, he was not that quick in 7S (which i saw). but he is quick enuf for XVs. but then i think the injures had robbed some pace off him . also u need time to get the pace pack . running like everything else we do , is about rhythm. if u dont have the rhythm even the fastest runner will not hit the highs. even Usain Bolt struggled when he came from an injury. it takes a little time to find ur ideal rhythm. ( best example was at olympics , when Justin Gatlin due to a slight niggle , failed to qualify for 200m finals) Speight was selected becoz he has shown to be a good 2nd level player ( i mean tests being first level). i dont know if there are any others who are quick, i have not seen any in super rugger. at the time people were counting days till he qualified. IMO , auzzy is looking for pace, out-right pace, becoz those guys in ur team are slow , even by XVs standards. the issue is , the guys u bring in either get injured or are not test class. i really think Magany has the pace to be a wing. anyone who can outrun Jone Macilai ( who is very quick) shud be a wing. but then he plays in centers and i'm not sure if he gets a chance to show his pace in centers. the other guy was 7S player Hutchinson, he was quick too but again i dont know what he is doing.
PeterK
Roar Guru
Naivalu should be on the bench ahead of Speight
PeterK
Roar Guru
difference is Naivalu has genuine pace Speight never did.
PeterK
Roar Guru
Naivalu has express pace and a good step and powerful leg drive but does not have size. He is only 94kg and 186 cm.
PeterK
Roar Guru
his defense is fine both on the wing and at centre. If Horne is the gold standard in defending both at 86%, Naivalu at 78% is fine. Hodge at 81% and DHP at 70%!
Hoy
Roar Guru
Should he be playing those few matches at Wallaby level then CUW? Was he on fire during the NRC, or was he selected because he was selected before?
CUW
Guest
Speight before injuries , was a very good wing. it will be interesting to see how good he is after recovery. becoz most players loose pace after leg injuries , which then affects their ability to perform as expected. in all , in nearly 2 years he has just played 5 matches. and even in 7S he did not play a lot due to injuries. people shud give him a chance to play a few matches consecutively , before passing judgement.
Browny
Roar Rookie
BL, he's not too bad but I wouldn't say it's his strength. He played a bit of 13 for the Rebels last year so he's not purely a "stay in the 15m tram lines and run really fast when I get the ball" winger.
BL
Guest
Re Niavalu - can someone give me the heads up on his defensive attributes - can he adapt to a team defensive pattern and system quickly - or is he just another free spirit with gass ?
Browny
Roar Rookie
Sefa definitely has wheels on him. The only issue may be his defensive positioning but we'll have to wait and see how he fares. Hoping he gets a cameo off the bench this week.
Paul
Guest
So much was made of the anticipation to Speight pulling on the gold as the next big thing on the wing for Australia after an impressive couple of years in Super Rugby. I hope the hype can be tempered around Niavalu
Rebellion
Guest
I can't wait to see Naivalu in action. He looks the goods with genuine attacking prowess and size to shed tackles as well as pace. Speight to me has been a bit of a Kyle Godwin - way overhyped as a player to build a backline around but astonishing ineffective against the top players