Sevu Reece was one of the uncapped New Zealand players named in their 39-man squad this morning, but things could have been a lot different following a turbulent few months.
The 22-year-old comes into the All Blacks set-up following a blistering campaign with the Crusaders which could end in Super Rugby glory as his side face up against the Jaguares in Saturday’s final.
As well as reaching the final, Reece is leading the try-scoring charts with a
whopping 15 tries and 29 try assists.
Things couldn’t look brighter for the youngster as he prepares for the Super Rugby final and the Rugby Championship.
However, only last October Reece was inches away from being signed up by Irish province Connacht from Waikato.
The province and Reece agreed a two-year deal that would have seen him join them in November 2018 and would have made him unavailable for international selection with the All Blacks.
The twist in the move was that Reece was brought to court in after getting involved in an altercation with his girlfriend on a night out.
Reece appeared in Hamilton District Court in relation to domestic abuse, with the judge acknowledging he expressed remorse and apologised, leading to him being discharged without conviction.
Despite being discharged Connacht released a statement later to announce that they would no longer be signing the youngster due to his appearance in court.
“Connacht Rugby and the IRFU have taken the decision, following contact with Sevu Reece in relation to the circumstances of a recent court appearance, not to proceed with a contract to play with the province,” the statement said.
Reece was left wondering if any of the Super Rugby clubs would offer him a contract and nearing the end of October last year he still had not been contacted.
“I would love to have a Super Rugby contract but, at this moment, there is nothing there for me,” he said.
It looked as though Reece would have to seek a move abroad to play at a higher level, until the Crusaders handed Reece a lifeline which has seen him blossom.
In April of this year he was talked about how what happened is the past and he wanted to focus on his career now.
“That’s all in the past and all that has been dealt with. I’m just going to keep working hard,” he said.
Working hard is exactly what he’s done. Going on to become the competitions top-try scorer and claiming a final spot as the Crusaders chase a third title in as many years.
That hard work has caught the eye of All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen, who sees enough in Reece to call him up.
Things could have been a lot different if he had have signed for Connacht, but it’s all worked out for the better in Reece’s eyes.
Less than a year ago it seemed impossible that the Fijian born back would get anywhere near the New Zealand squad. Now, after taking his second chance in both hands, the reality is that Reece will have to be prepared to take this chance as place on the plane to Japan for the World Cup looks ever-more possible.
