Siliva back on his feet

[mudskipper]

Siliva Siliva knows the start of his Super Rugby career is all about taking baby steps.

The aspiring ACT Brumbies hooker desperately wants to win the right to be Stephen Moore's back-up when the season begins next month.

But he is still trying to get his bid to break into the front-row rotation back on track after rupturing the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last year.

A knee reconstruction meant the Australian under-20s rake had to battle his way through the toughest period of his fledgling career.

While his new Brumbies teammates were on the field being put through gruelling training sessions by coach Jake White, Siliva was learning to walk again.

When the forwards went head-to-head in gritty scrum sessions, Siliva could only watch.

But slowly, he's been getting strength back in his knee. The 20-year-old still can't run at full speed but after a slow rehabilitation before Christmas, Siliva hopes his Super Rugby dream is back on track.

''It's pretty much like being a baby again, you've got to learn how to walk, then learn how to jog and the last step is sprinting,'' Siliva said.

''At the moment I'm still walking and jogging, hopefully the sprinting comes very quickly and by late February I'm fully fit.

''Sitting around for two months [not being able to train] was frustrating, but getting back into training is a good step for me.

''There's pain there occasionally, but hopefully it all goes away.''

The Brumbies began lifting the intensity of their scrum sessions this week.

Despite Wallabies hooker Moore and prop Ben Alexander still on limited training duties, the Brumbies had a hard-nosed scrum test.

While Siliva isn't running at full pace, he took his place in the front row. The 112kg forward doesn't want to fall behind his teammates and is determined to fine-tune his technique.

There were two major factors behind his decision to leave the Western Force Academy to move to Canberra: he wanted to work with Moore and he has followed the Brumbies since he was a star junior in Victoria.

''Basically from my childhood the Brumbies were always one of my favourite teams,'' he said.

''I've always been involved in little Brumbies programs and now it has just progressed to me being here.

''[Moore] has already given me a lot of tips and a lot of one per cent things that need to be fixed.

''A chance to learn off him was one of the main reasons I came here and I'm really enjoying it.''

Moore is the perfect man to teach the next generation of Brumbies hookers. He's played 65 Tests for the Wallabies and is one of the strongest rakes in Super Rugby.

Siliva is in a race against time to be fit for the opening round on February 24 against the Western Force.

During the season, he will battle with Anthony Hegarty for the back-up hooking duties while versatile big man Scott Sio can also fill the role when required.

Siliva's knee injury happened just before he began pushing for a Super Rugby debut.

He had the revolutionary LARS ligament surgery to halve his recovery time and hopefully prolong his career.


http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news...px?storypage=0

[Sheikh]

There were two major factors behind his decision to leave the Western Force Academy to move to Canberra: he wanted to work with Moore and he has followed the Brumbies since he was a star junior in Victoria.

Make that three: He wasn't going to get much game time behind Cheese and Whittaker.

[palitu]

best of luck, good to see a perth boy in the mix

[James]

He's a Melbourne boy We just nabbed him when he looked good in Schoolboys.

[Happy]

there's an ex number 10 going around cheap muddy you could "pilfer" hahahaha