I didn’t do the jersey proud in last NZ clash: Collins

October 21

Lindsay Collins believes he failed to do the jersey proud the last time Australia faced New Zealand as the Kangaroos target redemption in Christchurch.

Saturday’s match marks the two top international sides’ first meeting since the Kiwis handed Australia their biggest loss – a 30-0 drubbing in the Pacific Championships final in November.

The thrashing has rippled into the follow-up series, with coach Mal Meninga axing Test mainstays James Tedesco, Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic for the 2024 Pacific Championships that began with an 18-0 win over Tonga.

Prop Collins was one of seven players from last year’s mauling in Hamilton to turn out in Brisbane on Friday night.

The Sydney Roosters hard man still has bad memories from that afternoon, when he ran for a modest 60 metres and missed three tackles in a 30-minute stint from the bench.

“It wasn’t nice to be a part of,” Collins said.

“Every time you put on those colours, you want to do that jersey proud and for me myself, I didn’t do the jersey proud last year. We get an opportunity to rectify that this weekend.

“We’re moving forward. We can’t dwell on the past too much, as cliched as that is. We’ve got a new team here.”

Collins confirmed he felt fresh for the Kiwis after Tonga second-rower Haumole Olakau’atu floored him with a bruising hit in the first half on Friday night.

The shot left Collins writhing on the ground, and later, yelling at Kangaroos team staff.

“The physio came out and he told me I had to get up otherwise they were going to take me off,” a jovial Collins said.

“I’m like, some explicits and told him, ‘How about you get hit by Haumole and see how you go?'”

The front-rower will at least avoid a similar crunching from Kiwi adversary Nelson Asofa-Solomona, still suspended for the high shot that knocked Collins out of Melbourne’s preliminary final win over the Roosters.

On Monday, Collins brushed questions about the tackle, which sidelined him in the opening seconds of the grand final qualifier.

“I don’t really care. I’ve got no comment on it. It happened like three, four weeks ago,” he said.

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