Sekope Kepu will captain Moana Pasifika in their debut Super Rugby season. Photo / Getty
Sekope Kepu will captain Moana Pasifika in their debut Super Rugby season. Photo / Getty
After playing little more than a handful of games of professional rugby in the past two years, Sekope Kepu is set to return in a major way.
After a long and successful career in Australia, the 110-test Wallabies prop took his talents to the UK to play with London Irishin 2019. He made just 13 appearances for the team before leaving the club for personal reasons and returning to New Zealand in 2021.
Even when he had plans to play in New Zealand – returning to Counties Manukau for the NPC season for the first time since 2007 – Covid-19 said otherwise. Just two games into the campaign, the Auckland-based teams were forced to put their seasons on hold, before ultimately having to abandon them.
Now, the 35-year-old is set to return to the Super Rugby arena, named as the inaugural captain of Moana Pasifika.
Speaking about the past year, Kepu said he was disappointed in not being able to return to the pitch, but was happy to get a chance when Moana Pasifika host the Chiefs for a preseason clash at Mt Smart Stadium on Friday night.
"The body is itching to get into some actual games," Kepu said.
"It's always hard, the first one or two preseason games, but you've got to go through them to get into the competition. So, I'm not looking forward to it but I'm really looking forward to it at the same time."
Sekope Kepu during a Counties Manukau training session last year. Photo / Photosport
The preseason match against the Chiefs, doubling as a fundraiser for Tongan relief efforts, will be played over three 30-minute halves, allowing for plenty of squad rotation to ensure players get game time against another opponent under their belts.
While Kepu has been out of the game for the best part of the last two years, Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger indicated it hadn't taken anything away from his physical abilities, noting Kepu was among the quickest in the team over 10m.
When asked about the comment, Kepu said he definitely still had some life in his legs.
"With only 10 games in the last two years, I think I do," he said.
"I haven't played since the two rounds on NPC in July, so the legs are holding up well. I'm not allowed to hide in any of these speed sessions; I thought I'd get a pass to stand out, but I enjoy it and it's hard to sit down and watch training, so I try and get amongst it as much as I can."
In their first season of Super Rugby, Moana Pasifika have put together a solid squad full of a mix of veterans like Kepu and players who have limited Super Rugby experience, if any at all.
Kepu estimated about half of the squad were getting their first taste of that environment, and he had been approaching the season in the same way that his early captains had done so with him.
"I see myself as a guy who has a chat to the young guys, the new guys, in the background; put an arm around them and just try to make them feel welcome," Kepu said.
"I had guys that did that for me when I was new to an enviroment and it stuck with me. It's something I enjoy doing as well; welcoming new guys to the team and having those conversations, seeing what they're all about, where they've come from, what their walk was all about.
