Samu Kerevi to feature in Japanese Top League post World Cup

Australia international Samu Kerevi will head to Japan to feature in the Top League for Suntory Sungoliath following the conclusion of the World Cup scheduled later this year.

The Queensland Reds skipper has now signed a three-year multi-million dollar deal with the Japanese club and admitted that the decision to move away from the club was a 'tough decision'.

“It was a tough decision in the end but it was something I had to think about not just for myself, but for my family, especially,” he told Rugby Australia’s official website.

“I didn’t really want to leave, in terms of what I wanted to do here in Queensland still, there was a lot I still wanted to accomplish.

“Queensland’s always been my home and where I feel like I developed a lot of my rugby as well.

“There was a lot of tossing and turning with the whole decision but a lot of factors (went) into the whole decision.”

Kerevi, who played for Fiji U20 in the past has played 25 Tests for the Wallabies since his debut in 2016 and has been with Queensland Reds since his debut in 2014. The 25-year-old said the move to Japan also has more to do with spending time with his brothers who are both based in the country.

“Money is awesome, it’s comforting and a real safety net but for me, my little brother, I missed out a lot of his life at a young stage,” explained Kerevi.

“I was here in Australia and my older brother was in Japan after the 20s with Fiji, so he didn’t get his older brothers, he didn’t get time with us.

“Now he’s going to university and furthering his education and his rugby in Japan.

“I prayed about this situation and prayed about not just what I needed but what my family needed, especially him.

“I want to be there for him for the next couple of years, and see his growth, teach him how to shave and little things that he missed out on – he probably knows how to do that already – but coming up to his 21st birthday, I really wanted to be there for him.

“He’s becoming a man and he kind of already is. He had to take on a lot of things at home when we weren’t there, so he was the biggest factor in the whole thing.

“Thinking about him and his growth as a young man, I wanted to be a part of it as much as god is and our family is, so that was a big point for me.”