Sekope Kepu might be considered the new age of front row forwards.  He’s tall (188cm), he weighs 125kgs, he’s very good in the set piece play and he has the footwork and skill of a centre. This incredibly useful set of assets has not gone unnoticed by Wallaby selectors, with big ‘Kep’s’ being selected as one of four debutants in the Wallabies squad. Omar catches up with the quietly spoken Keps in the lead up to the Spring Tour.

So, how has the camp been so far?

It’s been really great.  The intensity and level of professionalism is definitely the greatest that I have experienced.  We had a 3 week block of very tough training in October which has been challenging but also enjoyable.  Overall, things have been going along well and I feel that I’ve been progressing well.

Tell us about the knee injury you’ve been carrying.  How did you do it and how is it going?

I did it in the club finals against Gordon, when I landed really awkwardly on my knee in a tackle.  It seems to have responded well though, and certainly won’t stop me playing if I am given the chance.

I understand you are from the Waikato district in NZ and played virtually all of your rugby there until this year.  Tell us how you feel the rugby compares between there and here? 

I find that it’s very similar on the field, with the Aussies playing the same fast expansive style of rugby to which I was playing back home.  Off the field however, I’ve found the Aussie approach to be a little smarter. An example is that when I first arrived over here, I was a little bit out of shape.  Instead of flogging the life out of me straight away, they conditioned my body first to make sure I was ready to take on that level of training. This actually surprised me a little because back in Waikato, you would be smashed straight away which in some cases could lead to further issues (i.e. injuries or burnout) if you weren’t ready for it.

Mate, I enjoyed the story you were telling me about your debacle on the day of the John Eales Medal.  Do you mind sharing this with our readers?

Yeah, this was a classic.  It was the afternoon of the medal presentation and I tried my team suit on to find that it was too small.  I told team management of this and they sent me from Manly across town to Surry Hills to have it fixed.  Big Cliffy Palu lives nearby, so he said he’d drive me there and pop in home on the way. 

On the way in heavy traffic, Cliffy's car overheated and basically broke down on Military Road.  To make matters worse, it was raining fairly steadily outside and to make matters even worse still, there were no cabs in sight.  Cliff and I, both about 120kgs and both carrying knee injuries were forced to walk about a kilometre in the rain before we decided to jump on a bus.  We were almost going to hitchhike, as a minivan of Tongans yelled out adoringly at big Cliff.  I’m not sure if they were cousins or just fans of the big fella.

So, you got the suit fixed ok?

I did finally, but the funny thing is, that Timana’s (Tahu) suit ended up being way too big for him.  I’m not sure if we were supposed to have each others suit, but I suspect this is what might have happened.

You could just as easily have ended up pursuing your career in NZ.  Tell us what happened?

I injured myself in last years Air NZ Cup, breaking my collarbone.  As a result of limited game time, it was hard for the Chiefs to pick me in their squad of 28 for this year’s Super 14.  I had a clause in my contract which said that I could walk out after the Air NZ Cup competition and at the time the Chiefs had 7 props all vying for selection. I made the decision to leave and bring my family to Sydney to play for the Waratahs which ended up being a good one.  Funnily enough, the Chiefs now have no props at all, with all of them either departed or injured.  Had the timing of things been different, I may still be in NZ.

Have you been to Hong Kong or to Europe before?

No I haven’t, so this is going to be an opportunity of a lifetime both on and off the field. I’m looking forward to the cultural side of the tour, but at the moment my biggest focus is just getting my first cap for the Wallabies.

It’s obviously going to be a little bit tough leaving your family behind.  I understand you have a recent addition to your family.

My wife and I had a little daughter 3 months ago named Faith-Rose. It will be tough being away from them but I’ve got Skype on my laptop, which should hopefully make things a little easier.

Thanks for your time Keps and good luck on the tour.  I’m sure there are a lot of people in both Australia and NZ who can’t wait to see you pull on the gold jersey.