Penrith Emus hooker Kerren Straker has been selected to tour Argentina with the NSW Barbarians. Photo courtesy of Penrith Rugby Club.

by Brendan Bradford –

Kerren Straker admits his knowledge of Argentina is pretty much limited to rugby and steak.

“I know it’s cold there at the moment,” the Penrith Emus front-rower and captain says.

“I searched it the other day and it’s about 11 degree highs. I’m partial to a nice steak too, so hopefully we can get an eye-fillet or something and I know the Argentinians play pretty hard and physical rugby and they love to scrum.”

Born and raised in New Zealand, Straker is one of 13-club players invited by Michael Cheika to join 21-Waratahs in a New South Wales Barbarians side to tour Argentina at the start of August. Invited by the Argentinian Rugby Union to assist with the Pumas’ preparation for the Rugby Championship, the 34-man Barbarians squad will play in Buenos Aires on August 3rd and in Salta on August 9th.

As well as providing valuable Test match experience, the tour is a huge opportunity for a number of emerging club prospects to vie for one of the five Extended Playing Squad contracts for 2014.

“We are playing against the main Pumas squad and these will be their first preparation games leading into The Rugby Championship,” said Cheika.

“It’s good to know they’re looking at us,” says 21-year old Straker. Photo: seiserphotography.com

“For the guys who haven’t played Test rugby before, the experience of playing international rugby in front of a big crowd, especially away from home, is too good to miss out on. The players have been selected from watching Shute Shield matches and quizzing club coaches about their own players and opposition players they have come across.

“For someone like Kerren Straker from Penrith, this is a great opportunity to play for a professional contract and, in an area where we want rugby to grow, it proves to everyone out there that there is an opportunity to go further.” 

After moving to Sydney over a year ago, Straker didn’t choose the most glamorous or high profile club in the Shute Shield to stake his claim as a professional rugby player, but the fact that he was even considered for the tour speaks volumes about the direction Cheika is taking and his approach to club rugby.

“It’s been a pretty tough season out at Penrith, we had 13-players leave so it’s been a bit of a struggle. But the coaching staff is working really hard and it’s a really good year for me to step up,” says Straker.

“Cheika said at the start of the year that he was going to help the West out and he’s really pushed through with that. It’s good to know they’re looking at us.”

The hard-working front-rower confessed to a few nerves after just his second training session at Moore Park on Thursday, but says he’s looking forward to taking the next step toward his professional rugby dream.

“I knew that they were sort of looking at me, and I got the call I was going on Tuesday afternoon,” he says

“The first training session was a bit of a shock to the system, it was like you’ve just played a game, but it was really enjoyable. The trip should be an awesome experience and the senior players like ‘Cutch’ (Pat McCutcheon) and Bernard Foley have been really good and sat down with me. I’m just trying to do the family proud, it’s not easy living over here away from them, so this really makes it all worthwhile.”

After seeing so many players leave the club in the off-season, Straker is more adamant than ever that he wants to remain at the foot of the mountains.

“The first thing all the boys said to me was ‘Oh, so you’re going somewhere else next year eh?’ but I told them that I’ll always be around,” he affirms.

“We’ve got a good juniors set-up out there and I just want to be able to give them someone to look up to, like what ‘Tafs’ (Tatafu Polota-Nau) has been doing for the West. The club’s behind me and I’m willing to back them too.”

HSBC Waratahs players – Peter Betham (Sydney University), Berrick Barnes (Sydney University), Mitchell Chapman (Eastern Suburbs), Cam Crawford (Northern Suburbs), Dave Dennis (Sydney University), Bernard Foley (Sydney University), Pat McCutcheon (Sydney University), Rob Horne (Southern Districts), Sekope Kepu (Randwick), Matt Lucas (Manly), Brendan McKibbin (Eastern Suburbs), Drew Mitchell (Randwick), Tatafu Polota-Nau (Parramatta),Paddy Ryan (Sydney University), Jeremy Tilse (Sydney University), Sitaleki Timani ( Southern Districts), Jed Holloway (Southern Districts), Luke Holmes (Warringah), Ben Volavola (Southern Districts), Will Skelton (Sydney University), Tala Grey (Eastern Suburbs)*

Invited Shute Shield club players – Alofa Alofa (West Harbour), Jack Dempsey (Gordon), Auvasa Falealii (Newcastle Waratahs), Alex Gibbon (Southern Districts), Terrence Hepetema (Randwick), David Horwitz (Randwick), Tolu Latu (Sydney University), David Lolohea (West Harbour), Usaia O’Sullivan (West Harbour), Kerren Straker (Penrith), Sam Talakai (Sydney University), Keliti Vaingalo (Eastern Suburbs), Liam Winton (Sydney University)

*2014 Contracted Player.