Tom Varndell dazzled by Alapati Leiua stardust
Former Hurricanes back Leiua checked into club’s Acton training base last week and England flyer Varndell cannot wait to see the Samoan in action.
He told The Rugby Paper: “As a back-line we’ve got some very exciting options and young guys coming through, and now we’ve got Alapati as well. He looks like he’s going to be a superstar.
“We need players like him because we’re all about attacking and wanting to go forward and some of the tries he scored in Super 15 were unbelievable. You always want to have a look at guys joining so I’ve watched his highlights and it’s nice to see a player like that coming.
“He’s going to add a new dimension to our back-line and he’s a Jack of all trades – 12, 13, wing or full-back, a bit like Elliot Daly and it’s good to have that.
“Rob Miller’s here as well and it’s great we’ve got real strength-in-depth now, because you want that competition to push each other on.
“You want to be the best player, the one that’s on the starting team-sheet, and with all this quality around you’ll always be pushing yourself,” adds Varndell, who also faces competion from Christian Wade and Will Helu out wide.
Varndell is looking to make up for lost time after an injury-hit 2013-14 campaign saw his hopes of an England recall go up in smoke.
But he refuses to give up, adding: “This time last year I was in the England training camp but then missed pretty much the whole season.
“I wasn’t really in the reckoning so for me now it’s all about making a fresh start and I’ve definitely not given up on England, I feel in really good shape.
“I’m at a good weight and I’ve hit my fastest ever speed times in pre-season, so hopefully I can kick on and have a really good season with Wasps. I’m only 28 so it’s about doing something special now and if I play well enough I’ll get selected.”
With Bradley Davies, James Gaskell, Ruaridh Jackson and Lorenzo Cittadini joining Leiua and Miller among a tranche of summer signings, Varndell believes Wasps have every chance of building on last season’s vastly improved campaign.
He said: “We know the club’s underachieved, but there’s excitement around now and we’re pretty happy with where we are.
“We finished well last year against Stade Francais and being back in the top tier of Europe is the highlight of my Wasps career so far.
“It’s good to get that big game feeling again and hopefully that will carry us from strength-to-strength. We’ve recruited well and although we don’t know how it’s going to go until the season starts, we feel we can push on.”
Varndell, meanwhile, has revealed his desire to be part of Team GB‘s Olympics Sevens squad in Rio. Logistically it may prove difficult to reconcile the demands of club and country, but he is open to an approach.
Varndell said: “The Olympics will be in the back of anyone’s mind who’s played Sevens. Rio would be an awesome achievement and anyone who says they don’t want to play in that is lying.
“Given the opportunity, it’s definitely something I’d love to have a crack at because I love sevens, got a lot out of it and it would be nice to be part of.
“Central contracting makes it hard but I’d be happy to do that if they wanted it and it’s something I’d definitely consider if it came along.”
NEALE HARVEY
