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Lukhan Salakaia-Loto says it took leaving Australian rugby to rediscover his love for the game and realise that what he had served up since the 2019 World Cup was simply not good enough.
Raw, honest and looking to make a punch on his return to Australia 12 months after leaving the Queensland Reds to join Northampton Saints, Salakaia-Loto said it took a heart-to-heart conversation with his partner, Brittany, and England great Courtney Lawes to realise he was letting his career fall by the wayside.
The 26-year-old, who was a part of Dave Rennie’s leadership group in early 2021 before being shunned later in the year, said his falling out with the Wallabies and indeed the Reds was a result of “complacency”.
“The last couple years at the Reds and back in Australian rugby before I departed, I was probably complacent, probably just going through the motions a bit,” Salakaia-Loto told The Roar.
“To be completely honest, I just knew I was going to get picked every week. That was the thing.
“It wasn’t until I had a good conversation with my partner and had an awesome conversation with Courtney Lawes, where he was in a similar position, different but quite similar, where I just found myself just knowing that at my old club I was going to play week-in, week-out.
“When you get to that point, you don’t work as hard and you just take everything for granted. There’s a reason why I felt out of contention with Test footy and stuff like that. I’ve only got myself to blame.”
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has opened up on his high profile return to the Rebels, saying he wants to make up for lost time. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
Salakaia-Loto’s comments are quite an admission and go some way in explaining why he was repeatedly left out by Brad Thorn in the backend of the 2022 Super Rugby season.
What they don’t explain is why.
Nor is the 26-year-old alone with plateauing at the Reds.
Nonetheless, he said the new environment under Chris Boyd and driven by Lawes, who captained England under Eddie Jones during their come-from-behind 2-1 series win over the Wallabies in Australia last year, helped change his ways.
“I learned so much about myself, so much about my game, and where I was as a player in terms of how I’d spent probably the first part of my career to now how I’m wanting to spend this next chapter of my career,” he said.
“I think being away from family and just being there with my own little family from an off the field side of things has made me a better father. I enjoyed the alone time with just my family.
“But in terms of my rugby, I learned so much.
“The last couple years, at the Reds and back in Australian rugby before I departed, I was probably complacent, probably just going through the motions a bit if I’m totally honest.
“I think the move over to the UK was an eye-opener for me. It’s good to experience a different type of rugby and the way it’s played over there and the opportunity to learn and be around world-class players like Courtney Lawes and Dan Bigger, just to name a few, was massively influential to how I see things now.”
Salakaia-Loto isn’t the first Australian player to leave these shores and improve.
Some like Nic White come home better players.
Others stay abroad and find their feet away from home.
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto credits his move to Northampton for changing his career. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Will Skelton comes to mind, as does Mack Hansen, while Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley have played some of their best rugby and shown it on the international stage.
The question is why?
“I was in a new environment and I had to prove myself,” Salakaia-Loto said.
“Coming from overseas doesn’t lock in anything, you’re just another player that they’ve bought in at the time and I had to prove myself and earn my respect within the squad from my teammates and fellow coaches.
“So, I think the whole new challenge for me was something that I probably needed. I sort of feel like it was my first couple years at the Reds, where I had to fight for a position again and fight for game time.
“It only brought the best out of me then and it definitely brought the best out of me now, and just that complacency that I had probably the last couple years just knowing things were sort of going to go my way whether I was a 50-60 per cent. But that stuff’s not sustainable, as you know.
“I think just being away from everything and having a different look on stuff and getting different perspectives and different looks and different opinions on my game and whatnot sort of helped me, and I think it’s only going to make me better.”
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto says he was too complacent at the Queensland Reds. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
Salakaia-Loto says Lawes, in particular, was influential.
It’s no great surprise given the England great, who made his Test debut in 2009 and is set to feature in his fourth World Cup campaign, shares many of the same characteristics as Salakaia-Loto.
Rugged and physical, Lawes found his best form under Jones and became a mainstay under the Australia after previously wavering in his form.
“He’s such a legend of the game,” Salakaia-Loto said of his former teammate.
“He’d be right up there in terms of top five players that I’ve been lucky enough to play alongside, and that’s such a crazy list.
“Obviously, it’s nice to have those comparisons but it’s a double-edged sword, I guess.
“He doesn’t say much, but it’s more about what he does, not what he says. But when he does speak, the room goes silent and everyone shuts up and listens to what he’s got to say.
“There’s a lot of stuff around my game that I sort of learned from him just being over there the last 12 months and stuff that I want to add into my game.
“I think the best part of it was just developing a relationship off the field and getting to know him and his family, which was nice.
“You come across once-in-a-lifetime generation players and I think he’s another one. He’s sort of changed the way a six sort of plays the modern game, along with a few others. He’s a legend, all-round top bloke and it’d be nice to have an impact on the game the way he does.”
Courtney Lawes has proved to be an inspiration for Lukhan Salakaia-Loto. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Having signed with the Rebels where he will link up with former coach Nick Stiles and Wallabies star Taniela Tupou, Salakaia-Loto says he’s intent for making up for lost time.
“I definitely wasted a couple years there before I’d left to go to the UK,” he said.
“I’m grateful that my experience in the Northern Hemisphere has definitely reshaped the way I see things now. I’m there (at the Rebels) to add what I can and add to the culture and try and help the team win.”
Salakaia-Loto could prove to be a late bolter for Jones’ World Cup hopes.
The 198cm, 123kg forward, who can mix and match between the second-row and blindside flanker, could provide the Wallabies with the height, physicality and set-piece prowess that will be needed at the World Cup.
Whether or not Jones calls upon him remains to be seen, but Salakaia-Loto said he didn’t expect an immediate call up.
“I think anyone that plays strives to be in a World Cup,” he said.
“Whether you’re involved or not, everyone wants their country to do well.
“I’m not thinking about that the moment, to be fair. If the stars align – there’s been some weird stuff that’s happened – but I’m just happy to be home at this stage.”
As for his conditioning, the versatile lock says he’s in good shape after Chris Boyd’s Saints attempted to use the ball.
“Yeah, well, we just came off five weeks, so as best as I can be. I’m in good shape,” he said.
“In terms of that work rate, the way we played the game in Northampton, it was based around that work ethic, work rate off the ball because they play such an expensive style of rugby compared to other Northern Hemisphere teams. It was one of the reasons why it was so attractive for me to join them in the first place.
“It was quite easy to sort of make the transition to go to them because they did sort of play a Southern Hemisphere style of footy, and work-rate was massive and staying alive in the moment trying to keep the ball alive and less rucks, so I was quite lucky to sort of play the team where work-rate was part of our DNA and in order for us to click and sort of play well we needed everyone to be firing and to working hard.
“But I think that’s the game now. With the way the game is played, a lot more kicks and counter- attacks and just more attacking rugby. I think it’s vital that you’ve got to be well-equipped and fit enough to be able to work hard.”
The clock is ticking for Lukhan Salakaia-Loto to be a part of Eddie Jones’ World Cup plans. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
For now though, Salakaia-Loto wants to put his head down.
Having been granted an early release for family reasons, his two children and partner have given the incoming Rebel a greater perspective on life.
“I’m not someone that’s just going to come out and just talk a lot of shit. I’d rather let my actions do the talking,” he said.
“I’m home now back with my family and there’s a lot more to life than rugby at the moment for me, so I’m just going to let my actions do the talking. I’ll try to be the best father, the best man and player I can be, and just go from there.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.