Perese repays Waratahs for taking 'huge risk' on him

MELBOURNE : Global rugby economics often see loyalties strained and broken in Australia, but Izaia Perese felt duty-bound to stick with the rebuilding New South Wales Waratahs after the Super Rugby side helped rebuild his life.

The talented 24-year-old centre re-signed with the Sydney-based team through to 2024, keeping him in the frame for a Wallabies spot and a ticket to next year's World Cup in France.

The deal announced Tuesday is also a coup for the Waratahs, who took a big gamble recruiting Perese last year despite his troubled history of drug charges, injuries and wellbeing issues.

Before the Waratahs came knocking, Perese's career was at a cross-roads in 2020 as he battled injury, depression and home-sickness during a miserable stint at French club Bayonne.

"When I first came from France, they took a huge risk because ... I've made the headlines before, that before leaving France (I) was, you know, drug-charged and stuff," Perese told reporters on Tuesday.

"So they didn’t know what they were getting with me. So in a sense, they took a huge gamble on me and I'm forever grateful for that."

Though based in Australia's best-resourced rugby state, the Waratahs went winless through a miserable 2021 that saw former coach Rob Penney sacked after a handful of games.

Perese, however, was a beacon of hope, winning the Matt Burke Cup as their best player while appearing in only nine of 13 games.

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is the only other player to claim the award in their debut season.

Perese will be an important part of new coach Darren Coleman's plans for the Waratahs, who snapped their losing streak against Fijian Drua in the first round of Super Rugby Pacific but lost their last two games.

Bringing the best out of Perese