Kangaroos debutant James Tamou has been warned to expect a Quade Cooper-type reception from a hostile Auckland crowd on Friday.
Kangaroos skipper Cameron Smith admitted the selection of New Zealand-born Tamou, who officially pledged his allegiance to Australia and NSW last week, was sure to raise the ire of those across the Tasman – but said it was something Tamou was expecting.
Traditionally, New Zealand teams and fans have shown little sympathy towards those who play for other nations, regardless of the circumstances.
Former Queensland fullback Karmichael Hunt, born in Auckland, felt the full force of Frank Pritchard’s shoulder on his Australia debut in 2006 in an incident that forced the then 19-year-old from the field on a stretcher.
Wallabies star Cooper, born in Waikato, New Zealand, was declared public enemy No.1 during last year’s Rugby World Cup and endured a horror tournament as he was tormented by fans.
Even Rangi Chase, who debuted for England in last year’s Four Nations rugby league tournament, was given special treatment when he faced New Zealand, with Kiwi hooker Issac Luke admitting to trying to break the halfback’s leg during the match.
“We saw what they did to Quade Cooper in the world cup where they target a player from the opposition, and I suppose James will be that person,” former Australia captain Laurie Daley said on Monday.
“But I’m sure he’s big enough to handle it.”
Like Hunt, Tamou, who was born in Palmerston North to two New Zealand-born parents, qualifies for the Kangaroos as he moved to Australia as a teenager.
He freely admits that New Zealand will always be home, but says representing Australia will be an enormous honour – and the perfect prelude to a potential callup to the NSW State of Origin team.
“When I started playing rugby league I told myself and my family I wanted to go as far as I can in rugby league and playing for the green and gold that’s the pinnacle of rugby league,” Tamou said.
“Origin was a big factor (behind my decision).”
Hooker Smith said he expected the Kiwis to target Tamou but felt any game plan centred on one player would backfire.
“I guess looking from the outside, you could say they might (target him),” Smith said.
“At the end of the day there’s 16 other very capable players in our team.
“If they want to try and target one bloke they’re going to get found out on other parts of the field.”
One thing is certain: the workaholic hooker is delighted to have the 194cm, 113kg Tamou lining up alongside him on Friday.
“Absolutely, he’s a big man and he’s an aggressive man,” Smith said.
“He’s quite versatile for a big man. He’s got great skill. Hopefully he adds a lot more to our team.
“He’s a confident young bloke. If you watch any of the Cowboys footy games, that’s the way he plays his footy.”
