Kefu sees a lot of himself in Collins

By WYNNE GRAY

It is a big rap from one of the game's juggernauts.

Wallaby vice-captain Toutai Kefu likes what he sees of his young All Black opposite Jerry Collins and sees many similarities with his start in test rugby.

While Kefu is into his 60th test tonight and heads to Japan at the end of the year, Collins is making his eighth test appearance at Eden Park.

"Collins is doing the sort of stuff I did initially, looking to get over the advantage line," said Kefu. "He will build into his game. At the moment he is not showing a lot else like passing or offloading but he is playing within a strong team structure.

"The All Blacks have a good tight five and I expect to see Collins work well with them for some time."

Kefu noted his opponent was a very tough customer in a very rugged rugby environment.

Kefu has seen off All Black No 8s like Taine Randell, Ron Cribb and Scott Robertson.

Initially the 29-year-old Queenslander thought he would be mixing it more this year with Rodney So'oialo, as he played No 8 for the Hurricanes and Collins worked as blindside flanker.

"It is all about finding a balance in the loose forwards and the All Blacks look as though they have got it right."

Kefu, facing his last Bledisloe Cup tonight, wondered about proposals to extend the series to three tests.

He thought some of the fervour and mystique of the transtasman tests might be diluted if the competition was increased.

"I think it could definitely lose its flavour if it went to three. I am happy with a two-match schedule, especially as the holder. Why give that advantage away? I think two is fine, home and away. People want to see one game on their home turf."

Pressure has sat with Kefu and the Wallabies during his career, which has coincided with the side's Bledisloe Cup dominance.

His first foray against the All Blacks was the 1998 series, one of his favourite matches the victory at Christchurch when the Wallabies won the Bledisloe Cup.

"Until then I was not convinced I was good enough to play at international level and leading up to that game we had been written off," he recalled.

The Wallabies had not won the trophy or won here for some years but "we won and I was proud of the performance I displayed".

Every test against the All Blacks was about pressure. They would be feeling plenty of that tonight with the country's expectations after the All Blacks 50-21 win in Sydney.

It had been a similar scenario at Carisbrook two years ago when the Wallabies earned a famous upset victory.

"We will have that at the World Cup and we have got to accept that pressure and use it positively."

Kefu has dented All Black hopes several times but his most famous was the final-minute try in 2001 which allowed his captain John Eales to retire in triumph.

The No 8 has beaten injury to make this test but does not sound as chirpy as he might when asked if the Wallabies could overturn their spotty record loss in Sydney.

"I definitely think we can get a lot closer. And I definitely don't want to lose the Bledisloe Cup in my last year."

His answer comes with a smile, the look of a player who has been there, done that and succeeded. The question is whether Kefu's team-mates can deliver him the sort of farewell he manufactured for Eales two years ago.

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Wallabies vice-captain Toutai Kefu hopes he can provide one last act of Bledisloe Cup heartbreak to New Zealand rugby supporters tonight.

The world-class No 8 ends a distinguished Australian career after the World Cup but wantsed to tick off several goals he set for himself before starting a three-year contract with Japanese club Kubota.

Not all has gone to plan so far, making him more determined to complete his targets in green and gold.

"There's a lot of things I wanted to do over this last year," Kefu said.

"I wanted to win a Super 12 with Queensland but I didn't get that. The World Cup is yet to come so for now I want to finish off with a Bledisloe Cup win against the All Blacks. I definitely don't want to lose the Bledisloe Cup in my last year."

That motivation has driven Kefu, 29, to be fit for the test. First he had to recover from spinal bruising suffered in the late, high tackle from banned Springbok prop Robbie Kempson three weeks ago. A calf injury picked up at training on Monday has provided even greater grief but the Brisbane powerhouse was confident he would pass a fitness test today.

The most capped Australian No 8, with 57 of his 59 tests in that position, Kefu's career has coincided with the Wallabies' Bledisloe Cup dominance over the All Blacks.

His first tests against New Zealand were the 3-0 whitewash to lift the trophy in 1998 and he has played every transtasman test since for an eight win-five loss record as Australia have kept it under lock and keythe cup.

Kefu's destructive running has been a constant scourge. A scorer of 10 test tries, only one has come against the All Blacks but it will be remembered for a long time.

His last-gasp match winner in Sydney in 2001 sent retiring Wallabies great John Eales out on a winning note.

When asked if the Wallabies could reverse their record 50-21 defeat to New Zealand in Sydney last month, Kefu downplayed their chances: "I definitely think we can get a lot closer.".

He also said little could be read into the fact the Wallabies were more convincing in beating the touring Springboks than were the All Blacks in the last two Tri-Nations tests.


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