Being the only non-Fijian in the team can be quite daunting, but 32-year-old South Aucklander Baden Kerr is relishing his time in the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua side.
Growing up in Papakura, Kerr played football, but through the influence of mates and the rich rugby culture in New Zealand, he switched to the oval ball game at the age of 15, and the rest as they say is history.
Speaking to The Fiji Times, Kerr said apart from the amazing rugby experience, being part of the team had offered him a unique opportunity to learn more about Fijian and the I-taukei culture.
“I was fortunate to be included and I love it,” he said.
Kerr was contacted late last year by Drua coach Mick Byrne who coached him when he was playing for the Blues.
“Mick called me up and said he needed injury cover for his 10. I think Freddy (Veitokani) had issues with his knee, Teti was coming back from his Achilles surgery and Caleb Muntz was coming back from a shoulder injury, so at that stage, all the 10s that were initially signed had been injured.”
Kerr said he was at a stage in his career where he was slowly transitioning to life after rugby and the call from the Drua coach changed his mind.
“I was at a point where I was trying to come to terms with finishing rugby. I was trying to get used to the real world which is not easy especially when you have been playing the sport for so long.
“I am so, so happy I took the offer. The things you learn from these boys and the Fijian culture is something that I think everybody in the world need to know.
“I suppose coming from a western culture, you focus more on what you do not have, whereas these boys have taught me to appreciate what we have.
“We’ve had a really tough season in terms of relocating and moving camp with the floods and different things coming our way, but the boys do it with the smile on their faces and it’s been the best experience of my life so far.
“I know bits and pieces of the language and one thing that intrigues me is the different villages and provinces and how different the dialects are.
“Peni Matawalu claimed me when I came into the team, so I am a kai Ra and he is my ‘Drau’. As soon as we landed, I had a bit of lovo. I loved everything, especially the seafood.
“We had a bit of roti and curry and that was so nice. I am also loving the fruits, particularly the pineapples and papaya.”
Kerr also spoke about how nervous he was joining the team at Lennox Head in New South Wales late last year.
“It was a little bit scary not really knowing how the boys would accept me because obviously me not being Fijian.
“I thought that there may be some apprehension from some of the boys.
“The first night that we got there, I stayed with some of the Kiwi boys in the team and the way that the boys welcomed me made me feel comfortable and feel at home right from the first night.”
He said their performances against established teams in the Super Rugby Pacific competition made a huge impact and showed everyone that they were a team capable of playing in the big league.
“The game against the Reds was probably one where everybody realised how dangerous the boys can be.
“We should have won that game and Serupepeli Uru scored a try when he pounced on a mistake that we made after kick-off.
“I think a lot of teams probably discounted us in the last 20 minutes to sort of fade out in terms of fitness, but we’ve done the opposite.
“Even last week’s game against the Blues, I thought that was our best team performance taking away points from their mistakes.”
Returning home after six months away is something that the players have been longing for and Kerr said that they were really excited to be in Fiji.
“Preparations have been going good and it’s really exciting. Some players have been away for six months so it’s a good time to catch up with family and friends. I know that Frank Lomani has not seen his family in four years and it’s a tough balance for the boys I reckon.
“We regrouped during the bye and full credit to the boys for sticking into training and asking questions. I know that they will be out to make their families proud.”
Kerr has an incredible back story with the sport, with a career that depicts his persevering character.
He began playing rugby at the age of 15 and worked his way up to the Counties Manukau Steelers side taking part in the age-grade level and featured for the senior side in the 2010 ITM Cup which is the provincial competition in New Zealand.
His outings in Steelers colours propelled him into the Chiefs training squad and development side in 2011. He switched allegiances to the Blues in 2012 and was trained under the watchful eyes of Sir John Kirwan and current Drua coach Mick Byrne.
A string of niggling injuries confined him from unleashing his full potential for the Blues side and signed to UK-based Premiership side Saracens and played a few games for the Bedford Blues.
In 2018 he left the UK for the land of the rising sun signing a two year contract for the Honda Heat side.
Faced with the effects of COVID, he returned to NZ in 2020 and once again featured for the Steelers against our very own Asaeli Tikoirotuma.
He was playing club rugby in NZ until his inclusion into the Drua side last year.
He featured for the side in their fi rst three matches this season and has been ruled out ever since because of injury.
Kerr hopes to inspire, not only youngsters in Fiji, but also those overseas who were in awe of Fijian rugby and wanted to feature
in the Drua in the coming years.
“One of the favourite sayings that I learnt from the club I was affiliated with during my tenure at Saracens.
“It is a Roman word which translates to ‘The stuff people do
not see.’
“You can do training people prescribe and go to the gym, but it’s the stuff behind the scenes that people do not see. Doing extra kicking or running for 10-20 minutes after training.
“Those little things add up, especially when you are younger. You should be willing to do a bit more than other people and most importantly doing it while having fun.”
