Latest news with #Asiata
The Age
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
From chasing Ponga to Wallabies bolter: Inside unheralded star's Test push
Nursing a nasty black eye he struggled to keep open, Richie Asiata could not help but laugh when reflecting on his journey from the brink of Australian rugby exile to shock Wallabies prospect. Last year he was doubting his ability to break back into the Queensland Reds fold, let alone garner a Test jumper, as a series of injuries curtailed his career and left him sidelined for the entire Super Rugby Pacific campaign. 'I did my MCL at the beginning of the year, then came back from it and injured it again. I tried to come back again, then injured it again, so it wasn't the best feeling,' Asiata said, days out from the Reds' clash with the Brumbies on Saturday. 'Then I came back and did my back as well, so it wasn't the best of times. There are low times … you always have doubts, we're human after all. 'You've just got to have close ones with you, and my family really helped me through that.' At 29, and with fellow hookers Matt Faessler and Josh Nasser becoming prominent members of the Wallabies squad, he needed something to change. His first elite-level game of 2024 against Wales rejuvenated him – Asiata scored a hat-trick, before embarking to New Zealand to don the Northland colours in the Mitre 10 competition. Star showings on the Reds' tours to Tonga, Japan and the United Kingdom followed, and he won the No.2 jumper to launch the 2025 season, before Faessler and Nasser succumbed to hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
From chasing Ponga to Wallabies bolter: Inside unheralded star's Test push
Nursing a nasty black eye he struggled to keep open, Richie Asiata could not help but laugh when reflecting on his journey from the brink of Australian rugby exile to shock Wallabies prospect. Last year he was doubting his ability to break back into the Queensland Reds fold, let alone garner a Test jumper, as a series of injuries curtailed his career and left him sidelined for the entire Super Rugby Pacific campaign. 'I did my MCL at the beginning of the year, then came back from it and injured it again. I tried to come back again, then injured it again, so it wasn't the best feeling,' Asiata said, days out from the Reds' clash with the Brumbies on Saturday. 'Then I came back and did my back as well, so it wasn't the best of times. There are low times … you always have doubts, we're human after all. 'You've just got to have close ones with you, and my family really helped me through that.' At 29, and with fellow hookers Matt Faessler and Josh Nasser becoming prominent members of the Wallabies squad, he needed something to change. His first elite-level game of 2024 against Wales rejuvenated him – Asiata scored a hat-trick, before embarking to New Zealand to don the Northland colours in the Mitre 10 competition. Star showings on the Reds' tours to Tonga, Japan and the United Kingdom followed, and he won the No.2 jumper to launch the 2025 season, before Faessler and Nasser succumbed to hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively.
West Australian
13-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Asiata rises out of shadows in Reds' time of need
Richie Asiata jokes that you'd see him trailing in the background if you look up highlights of his star-studded high school rugby side. It was more of the same at the Queensland Reds last year when the injured hooker watched fellow No.2s Matt Faessler and Josh Nasser earn their Test caps. Things have changed dramatically in 2025 though, the 29-year-old at one point the only fit, capped player in his position. He's thriving as the Reds' leading try-scorer, with seven, and talking down his prospects of a shock Wallabies call-up for the British and Irish Lions visit. "Pretty lucky to play in that team," he said of his undefeated 2014 GPS powerhouse Churchie team that featured Kalyn Ponga, Brodie Croft, Liam Wright, Izaia Perese and other future professional standouts. "Just happy to be there to be honest ... you look at the highlights, you always see me in the background." Asiata credits his 2025 form to an off-season stint with Northland in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship that got minutes in the legs of a player struck down three times by knee injuries and then by a neck complaint. "I just wanted to get back playing again," he said ahead of Saturday's crucial Super Rugby clash with the ACT Brumbies in Canberra. "The boys were playing the house down and knew I had to catch up. "You always play your type of game and when you get your chance, make sure you make it last. "So I'm just trying to last out here until the boys come back." Faessler (hamstring) is unlikely to play again for the Reds this season while Nasser returned via the bench in last week's tight defeat of the NSW Waratahs. The pair both scored against the Waratahs, Asiata enjoying the Reds' rolling maul dominance this year after a schoolboy career at Churchie spent keeping up with his flying backs. The Reds, assured of a finals berth but chasing a top-three finish and a home quarter-final, are five points behind the third-placed Crusaders. The Brumbies are two points further ahead in second, but have played one more game than both the Reds and Crusaders. Saturday's result will have major finals implications with just two regular-season rounds to play. "It's massive for us ... we lost here (in Brisbane) against Brumbies, we want to get one over them," Asiata said of Saturday's high-stakes clash. "We'll take it game by game and wherever we land in the finals we'll be ready to go."
Perth Now
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Asiata rises out of shadows in Reds' time of need
Richie Asiata jokes that you'd see him trailing in the background if you look up highlights of his star-studded high school rugby side. It was more of the same at the Queensland Reds last year when the injured hooker watched fellow No.2s Matt Faessler and Josh Nasser earn their Test caps. Things have changed dramatically in 2025 though, the 29-year-old at one point the only fit, capped player in his position. He's thriving as the Reds' leading try-scorer, with seven, and talking down his prospects of a shock Wallabies call-up for the British and Irish Lions visit. "Pretty lucky to play in that team," he said of his undefeated 2014 GPS powerhouse Churchie team that featured Kalyn Ponga, Brodie Croft, Liam Wright, Izaia Perese and other future professional standouts. "Just happy to be there to be honest ... you look at the highlights, you always see me in the background." Asiata credits his 2025 form to an off-season stint with Northland in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship that got minutes in the legs of a player struck down three times by knee injuries and then by a neck complaint. "I just wanted to get back playing again," he said ahead of Saturday's crucial Super Rugby clash with the ACT Brumbies in Canberra. "The boys were playing the house down and knew I had to catch up. "You always play your type of game and when you get your chance, make sure you make it last. "So I'm just trying to last out here until the boys come back." Faessler (hamstring) is unlikely to play again for the Reds this season while Nasser returned via the bench in last week's tight defeat of the NSW Waratahs. The pair both scored against the Waratahs, Asiata enjoying the Reds' rolling maul dominance this year after a schoolboy career at Churchie spent keeping up with his flying backs. The Reds, assured of a finals berth but chasing a top-three finish and a home quarter-final, are five points behind the third-placed Crusaders. The Brumbies are two points further ahead in second, but have played one more game than both the Reds and Crusaders. Saturday's result will have major finals implications with just two regular-season rounds to play. "It's massive for us ... we lost here (in Brisbane) against Brumbies, we want to get one over them," Asiata said of Saturday's high-stakes clash. "We'll take it game by game and wherever we land in the finals we'll be ready to go."
1News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- 1News
NZ U85kg team makes history with inaugural win over Sri Lanka
The inaugural New Zealand Under-85kg rugby side has made history in Kandy, defeating the full Sri Lankan national side 50-10. The weight grade side scored eight tries to one in an entertaining match, living up to the reputation the grade has of fast, running rugby. A capacity 5000-strong crowd at Nittawala Rugby Stadium greeted the sides as they took the ground, with the home side carrying a significant weight and height advantage in the forwards. However, the difference in experience became evident early on - while the New Zealanders were drawn from amateur club rugby competitions, they are all seasoned and well-drilled players that had clearly benefited from even the briefest exposure to a high performance set up. It only took five minutes for the U85kg side to cross the line, with number eight Pasia Asiata getting the honour of scoring the first try in the team's history. Not long after, he created the try of the match when he stole the ball from a Sri Lankan ruck only five metres out from his own line, kicked downfield and eventually the ball was shifted to for Jamie Petford to dive in the corner. The Sri Lankans, ranked 39th in the world, hit back with a try to Dahan Wickramarachchi off a lineout drive, which was good use of their size. However, their naivety on defence was a telling factor as time and again the U85kg players were able to make ground and recycle the ball with rapid regularity. More first half tries followed to Ben Megson and Jack Laity to make the score 26-7 at halftime. Even though the home side managed to kick a penalty after the break, the U85kg side were able to dictate territory and possession. They were helped by the admirable but ultimately costly attitude of the Sri Lankans to run the ball from even behind their own goal line, meaning that counterattack opportunities were frequent. Captain Jarred Percival dived in under the posts off another nice bit of work by Asiata, then fullback Francis Morrison was rewarded for an excellent performance with a try out wide. Asiata then scored his second off another sweeping move, before Morrison finished things off with a try near the posts. "I'm most proud of the effort," said Percival post match. "The first 10 minutes was unbelievably hot and the boys were blowing…it cooled down but our energy stayed high. Sri Lanka kind of cooled off but we kept our energy up and kept scoring tries, which was great. We had to play fast, there was a bit of a weakness in their lateral movement." Percival admitted a bit of old-fashioned gamesmanship came into play, with the New Zealanders taking every opportunity they could in the second half to take water breaks. "It was really hot out there, it's an absolute cauldron" said coach Ngatai Walker. "I'm so proud of the group. The boys were pretty for anything, they just bit down on the mouthguards and got on with it." The win certainly proved a couple of things, firstly that the initiative taken to set the U85kg side up was well worth it and not only because they managed to win so convincingly. The appetite for rugby in Sri Lanka was evident with the big crowd and an even larger attendance predicted for next weekend's rematch in Colombo.
