Trading places: How rugby union lost a star likened to Sonny Bill Williams to rugby league
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is proud of Wallabies star Joseph Suaalii.
There was an interested observer in the stands at Murrayfield when the Wallabies took on Scotland last month: NRL great Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. It’s a name that may be unfamiliar to many in rugby union, but he remains a poignant reminder of what could have been.
Waerea-Hagreaves was in Edinburgh to support and watch his friend and former teammate Joseph Suaalii represent Australia, after recently joining Super League side Hull KR. Young gun Suaalii has been making waves across the sport since his dramatic debut in the Wallabies’ win over England at Twickenham.
However, 16 years ago it was another Polynesian talent who slipped union’s grasp and defected to the 13-man code – and went on to become one of league’s greatest-ever. With three NRL grand final victories, 33 Tests for New Zealand and the record for the most games for the Sydney Roosters with 310 to his name, Waerea-Hagreaves is renowned as arguably the code’s toughest current enforcer.
Likened to Sonny Bill Williams
But in 2007 he was a rising star in Australian rugby union coming through at Iona College in Brisbane. After migrating to Queensland from Rotorua at the age of 11 the promising lock, who was likened to Sonny Bill Williams at the time, rose up the schoolboy ranks, was signed by the NSW Waratahs Academy and was picked to represent Australia at the Under-19 Rugby World Championship in Ireland.
Like his teammates in green and gold at that time – Pat McCabe, Ben McCalman, Rob Simmons and James Hanson – he appeared destined for Super Rugby and Wallaby glory. But after a bidding war between the Australian Rugby Union, New Zealand Rugby Union and several NRL clubs, Waerea-Hargreaves defected to Manly Sea Eagles and the rest, as they say, is history.
The 35-year-old reflected on what caught have been after watching the Wallabies in action against Scotland.
“It’s funny you say that. The last 10, 15 years I’ve watched the Wallabies play, a lot of the guys that I have played with have gone on to play for Australia,” he told Planet Rugby.
“I played schoolboys with James Slipper, I played with him at the Under-19s World Cup. To see him still going around there was pretty cool.
“You’ve got the next generation coming through now. We obviously went up to Edinburgh to support a teammate of mine that I played with and do some sightseeing. It was cool, a great, little experience.
“I was fortunate to play with ‘Sue’ [Suaalii], and obviously the Wallabies had a very successful start of their campaign.
“Just to watch him I was so proud, being an older guy that played a few seasons with him at the Roosters and to get to watch his journey from afar now. I’m just really proud to see him go.”
It was Manly scout and former international Noel Cleal who first spotted the Kiwi and convinced him to cross codes. Cleal, who played alongside another rugby union star who switched to league in the 1980s at the Sea Eagle in Michael O’Connor, knew what a special talent he had on his hands.
Waerea-Hargreaves admitted he had never played league before he swapped codes, but has no regrets about the move that set him on a very different career path. Now a veteran, the fearsome front-rower remains an avid follower of both rugby codes.
“I was scouted by Crusher [Cleal] when I was 18 years old,” he said.
“I’ve never played rugby league when I went to Manly for the first time. I was also told that I was a rugby league player playing rugby union just because of the physicality I played with.
“When I was playing I was constantly trying to shoulder charge and hurt people. I was always told in my last few years of schoolboy rugby I should give rugby league a crack.
No regrets over Manly move
“I was at the Waratahs in 2007 and I ended up making the Aussie Under-19s a year younger. I always thought I’d play rugby union forever.
“[But] as soon as Manly gave me the opportunity in 2008 I didn’t look back. In 2009 the opportunity came at the Roosters, and it was an opportunity to play first-grade.
“I just wanted to play NRL and the calibre of forwards I was playing behind at Manly everyone was playing representative footy. In 2009 the Roosters got the wooden spoon and for me to go to the Chooks and play some NRL every single week – that was a dream of mine.
“That’s what I wanted to do and they gave me the opportunity. It’s funny how 15 years goes by and you look at the friendships that you’ve got for life, the memories that you’ve got forever.
“The Roosters are a place that will always be special in my heart. I’m super grateful.”
READ MORE: Code hopper opens up on playing under Eddie Jones for the Wallabies
by John Davidson
