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The three minutes that cost Reds halfback Werchon his debut
Louis Werchon’s Queensland Reds teammates tried to prank him ahead of his Super Rugby Pacific debut.
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But a tongue-in-cheek call last week to check why he was late, an hour before the team was due to meet, backfired.
The 21-year-old halfback was already in the building.
It was no coincidence. The self-styled Sunshine Coast talent was making sure there was no repeat of what happened last year.
Named to make his debut off the bench, Werchon’s Mazda ute – complete with a plastic crown melted to the dashboard and The Goat number plate – was stuck in traffic.
He was three minutes late, renowned disciplinarian coach Brad Thorn pulling him aside at the captain’s run soon after to tell him he’d been dropped.
“Thorny just said, ‘not good enough, really’, and told me to go to the gym,” Werchon told AAP ahead of Saturday’s clash with the red-hot Blues at Suncorp Stadium.
“The meeting hadn’t even started … it (to be dropped) was pretty brutal and I definitely thought it was a bit unfair.
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“Now I’m not taking any chances.
“I’m pretty sure I was two hours early all of last week.”
It’s not all talk. Werchon was five minutes early for this interview and says his entire approach to football has changed as a result of that tardy morning.
“I’ve worked a lot harder and I’m taking my footy more seriously this year,” he said.
“I still try and enjoy it as much as possible but have taken a step forward with my diet, my prep, recovery … but I’d never cut my hair (to conform).”
Werchon admits he thought his professional dreams had been dashed, the junior Wallabies talent heading back to finish his plumbing apprenticeship and hoping for the best.
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He impressed new coach Les Kiss and earned a new contract late last year, former schoolmate Tate McDermott’s three-week suspension opening the door for his debut off the bench in a 31-0 defeat of the Highlanders last week.
It was the Sunshine Coast Grammar graduate’s first game at Suncorp Stadium and he didn’t shy away, launching a brilliant torpedo that wobbled to trouble the opposing fullback with his first kick.
He was happy to pick a fight with a Highlanders forward and showed the dash and dare with ball in hand that he hopes will put pressure on Kiss once Wallabies halfback McDermott is free to return.
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Wins
1
Draws
0
Wins
4
Average Points scored
24
39
First try wins
80%
Home team wins
60%
“We’re all good mates but I’m trying to not only get (fellow halfback) Kalani (Thomas), but Tatey as well,” Werchon said.
“The dream is to wear that Wallabies jersey.”
Werchon’s teammates rate his humour and confidence while Kiss has leant into the entire squad’s personalities to get more out of a talented roster that had stalled under Thorn’s successful six-year reign.
“Les just wants us to all be ourselves – we got this far being ourselves – he’s been the best, communication-wise, footy-wise,” Werchon said.
“And Brad (Davis, assistant coach) with the backs, has been unreal.”
The Reds (4-4) kept a team scoreless for the first time since 1999 last week.
But they will face a monstrous task against the Auckland-based Blues (7-1) who put 46 and 50 points on the ACT Brumbies and Western Force respectively in the last fortnight.
“They’re clinical and we’ve got to break it down,” Werchon said.
“A win would be huge and what we did on the weekend gives us the confidence.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments