Lealiifano's first Super 14: A new Era for Australian Rugby

For a Kiwi who grew up in Melbourne and idolised Michael Jordan, it is a surprise to many that Christian Lealiifano is the latest prodigy in a new era for Australian rugby.

Making his debut this year (2008) for the ACT Brumbies, 20-year-old Lealiifano says that he will bring skills to the game that his predecessor, Stephen Larkham, did not have. The Auckland-born talent is also confident that a new generation of stars in the Super 14 will sustain the sport in the Gregan-Larkham twilight.

Lealiifano is among a horde of new faces who have emerged this year, joining teenage revelations Kurtley Beale, Rob Horne and Lachie Turner (NSW Waratahs), James O’Connor and David Pocock (Western Force) and Quade Cooper (Qld Reds) in the toughest provincial rugby tournament in the world.

However, none of them have quite as big a role to fill as Lealiifano.

Following last year’s retirement of Stephen Larkham, arguably the best five-eighth in the world, Lealiifano was tasked with the Brumbies number 10 jersey.

Despite the huge responsibility the talented pivot says he brings some expertise to the game that Larkham didn’t have.

“A lot of people have said, ‘Mate, there’s massive boots to fill,' but all the boys just say 'worry about your own game.'"

"Because I bring a lot of new stuff that he [Larkham] didn’t have, or something he left behind. That’s what I’m trying to do as well,” Lealiifano says of his predecessor.

Like fellow junior stars, Lealiifano was thrown in the deep end this year. Debuting in Round One against the formidable six-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders, Lealiifano recalls that his team’s confidence in him helped immensely.

“I had full confidence in the team, and the team had full confidence in me. But when I was out there I was looking around and you’ve got Dan Carter, the best five-eighth in the world, and Richie McCaw the captain of the All Blacks…I just couldn’t believe I was actually there.”

Despite the task of marking one of the best players in world rugby, Lealiifano says it was an experience he will never forget. He also says that advice from senior players has helped craft him as a player.

“[They] absolutely make me play better. Those guys [Stirling Mortlock and Mark Gerrard] have so much experience and they try to pass it on to us younger guys. Playing with them makes you so much [more] confident, and they give that confidence in you.”

During this year’s competition Lealiifano has come up against other youngsters making waves in the Super 14. He says that there’s a companionship between the Australian rookies this year; a positive culture between them.

“I’ve played with Kurtley [Beale] and Quade [Cooper] in school [Australian U/19's] and we’re all just young guys and it's kind of a buzz seeing your mates play Super 14. We’re all just supportive of each other. We always play harder against each other, you know, but there aren’t any real rivalries between us.”

The Brumbies had a disappointing end to the Super 14, finishing ninth behind the NSW Waratahs (second) and the Western Force (eighth).

“We were a big shot for the finals if we won our three games in South Africa. When you think about it our season this year was a bit hit-and-miss. We’ve taken a lot of positives out of it and the feeling is (that) the Brumbies will do awesome next year,” Lealiifano says of the seasons end.

Outgoing Brumbies coach, Laurie Fisher, says Lealiifano will return to next year’s Super 14 competition a more experienced and confident player.

“His actual reading of the game in terms of when to create tempo is still quite poor, but I think he has some attributes of Larkham,” Fisher says of his young pivot.

“[However] I think the experience that guys like Christian and Tyrone Smith, with a season of Super 14 under their belt, will make them infinitely better players next year,” Fisher says.

“To step into a starting position is, in this level of competition, an enormous challenge for a bloke [Lealiifano] who’s only ever played club footy,"

“He certainly conducted himself particularly well, and that’s a little bit down to his personality; he doesn’t get ahead of himself, [he has] a capacity to handle pressure. You’d suggest on a guy for his first crack at it with limited experience he’s done particularly well.”

The introduction of young talent like Lealiifano into the Super 14 has revived Australian rugby, and gives hope for the game in Canberra in the post Gregan-Larkham era.