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Brittany Mitchell, ESPN Assistant Editor
In an instant, Darcey Swain’s name was splashed across headlines and online forums, along with the nickname “Grub.” Swain entered the ruck from the side at Bledisloe I in 2022 and wrapped his arm around Quinn Tupaea’s leg, bringing the All Blacks center down and injuring his knee in the process.
It was Swain’s second appalling indiscretion in a Wallabies shirt in three months – the first being a red card for a headbutt on England’s Jonny Hill. As a result, Tupaea will spend the entire 2023 season on the sidelines, while Swain was given a yellow card and subsequently suspended for six games.
Swain, who was heavily criticized by fans and commentators for his actions, quickly apologized to Tupaea after the center suffered a torn medial cruciate ligament (MCL) and a partial tear of the anterior important ligament (ACL) in his left knee. However, the Australian player’s poor discipline has continued ever since and he is treated as a liability on the field.
Swain believes the incident and subsequent disciplinary issues cost him his place in the Rugby World Cup and is keen to get more playing time and prove to the rugby world that he is not a dirty person. He said he will play in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season. player.
“That’s true. [unwarranted to be labelled a grub]Obviously, these two incidents were pretty close and posed a lot of bad connotations,” Swain told ESPN.
“I regret both events. I can’t do anything about it anymore, it’s in the past. Now I just need to get over it, play as much rugby as I can and show people that I’m not a scumbag or a mean person. I just want to show you.’ Bad kid or whatever.
“Last year I couldn’t play much because of selection and a little injury, so I didn’t get to play much. I just want to go out and play soccer, and I think if I do that, I’ll be able to play.”With better footwork , raise your hand to start a little more and get back into the Wallabies set-up. ”
Despite playing limited minutes for the Brumbies, Swain attended Eddie Jones’s Wallabies training camp in April last year, but was ruled out after suffering a knock to the head. This will be Jones’ only chance to impress. Jones went on to tell Locke that he needed to clean up his act.
“I think so [poor discipline] definitely contributed [to missing out on a World Cup call up]”I ran a little too much and couldn’t contain my frustration on the field,” Swain said. I just got a yellow card and a few penalties here and there and it didn’t help my game at all.
“Especially when I’m not Fraser McCreight or a player who commits three turnovers a game or a Bobby player.” [Valetini] Run through 10 men.I just do the shirring [less glamourous jobs] And just winning a good lineout ball for the team.
“When you get a yellow card and then two or three penalties in a game, it’s not good for you or the team, so you have to get back to playing good football.
“I know it probably affected my times and I’ve had conversations with Eddie.” [Jones] And he said he has to control his frustration and anger on the field. ”
Swain has since consulted Brumbies sports psychologist Guy Little in an effort to understand why he was unable to control his outbursts on the pitch and develop ways to overcome his frustration.
“I’ve worked a lot with Guy Little and he’s helped me a lot. I went back to training and put that into practice and then started playing more football and trying to do the same in matches. I want to,” Swain said. .
“It’s about bringing a little bit of awareness to it and understanding when you’re getting too excited and trying to calm yourself down. The only way you can really do that is by training it more.
“Obviously we got a lot of good things at the end of last year, but we can definitely do a lot more in that area. It’s time to get in the saddle. Just go out and train.”Then playing please. ”
The 26-year-old, who was forced to watch the Wallabies’ worst World Cup defeat in Australia from Australia, was frustrated by the circumstances surrounding the sacking of manager Dave Rennie, and especially by his failure to help his team-mates. I couldn’t help but feel that. His close friend Nick Frost breaks down in tears after the Wallabies’ record defeat to Wales.
“I would have liked to have been a part of it, and I think I could have contributed to the campaign,” Swain told ESPN. “But that’s the reality. I think we’ve all seen what happens when you get it wrong.
“It’s not up to the players. We all had full faith, I certainly had full faith in Dave and his team, but that’s the way RA works.” [Rugby Australia] saw. That’s the way it is, and hopefully we can get it right this time.
“In a way, that’s true. [leave a bitter taste]. It’s really unfair how he was released. We all saw the final impact it had.
“You can’t do too much with six months left. As good as all these coaches have been, they have six months and other teams have four full years. We’ve been preparing, but we haven’t done enough to prepare.”Full head coach and full coaching team.
“When they lost to Wales, when Frost was crying a little bit on TV, I felt so bad for him, you know? He’s a good mate and he’s obviously going through some tough times. I gave him a message. I sent him and got around him.”He’s also in rehab, so we tried doing things together like lifting tins and making small holes. It was good. ”
A Wallabies recall is high on Swain’s priority list for 2024, but recovering from off-season knee surgery and taking the Brumbies one step further and winning their first Super Rugby title in 20 years will be the key to kick-off. His main goal is to countdown to the edge. Closer.
“We didn’t perform as well last year and got to the semifinals, but that’s kind of in line with what we’ve done the last three or four years,” Swain told ESPN.
“We have a big chance because our turnover is minimal and we’ve obviously built a lot of momentum in the last two or three years and a lot of players have a lot of experience now. So I think we should use that.”We have the momentum, so there’s no reason we can’t take it one step further and get to the finals and then take another step and win.”
Regardless of his position with Tupaea, Swain is ready to forget the moment.
“I immediately sent him a WhatsApp and told him I know it’s nothing, it doesn’t mean anything, but I regret what I did and I’m sorry. But you know, it’s between me and him, and if he doesn’t want it…we’ll leave it at that.”