Bruising Australian forward Ben Gunter is on the verge of a memorable Test debut on Saturday as the resurgent Wallabies meet Japan in Oita.
But the 23-year-old from Gunnedah is among the Brave Blossoms ranks, not Australia’s, after being overlooked by Super Rugby clubs as a raw-boned schoolboy.
The Panasonic Wild Knights star shared his unlikely journey with Wide World of Sports.
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Q) I believe you came very close to packing up your boots and joining the army a few years ago?
A) Yeah mate, I finished school and had no offers at all from any club.
Especially the Reds – I went to school in Queensland and was in the development squads they had there for a bit.
A couple of injuries kept me from showing them my potential.
I finished school and literally had nothing.
I couldn’t even make the trials for Queensland Schoolboys in my last year of school, just couldn’t get a look in.
So I finished school and had absolutely nothing under my belt.
I got a phone call that Robbie Deans was keen to get me back over to Japan for a look because I was over there in my last year of high school, for the Sanix World Youth Tournament.
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So I’d been over there once before with my high school and got to see a bit of Japan.
So I thought ‘oh, that’s cool, that’ll be me, I won’t need to go back to Japan, seen it once, seen it all.’
But came back for that trial, was here for two weeks over Christmas and then came back to Australia.
They said ‘we’ll get back to you mate, if we’ve got anything for you.’
I thought ‘sweet,’ waited around for six months to see if I’d get a contract or not.
It was getting close to the six month mark and I thought ‘oh well,’ started to get stuff sorted to join the army.
I was on my way home actually, to see my parents, my godparents for the last time before I joined up and next thing I got a phone call for a four-year deal with Panasonic.
That’s all she wrote, I came back over, got the call on the Thursday, flew over on the Saturday and started Monday with Panasonic.
Five years ago now – that went fast.
Q) So Robbie had jotted your name down on a notebook somewhere and came knocking out of the blue?
A) Yeah I actually don’t know the full story of how it happened, I just got a call from newSTAR Sports and they were like Robbie Deans is keen to get you over there and have a go with the Panasonic Wild Knights.
As soon as I heard the name Robbie Deans, that was that hook for me and then I did a bit of Googling and saw Berrick Barnes was there, Dan Heenan, Ben McCalman, Hayden Parker, JP Pietersen.
I’m looking at all these huge names and just going ‘holy shit, get me there.’
Got here and then started to realise some of the big Japanese names that were here like Shota Horie.
I thought ‘this is unreal’ and it just won me over when I came over for my trial.
Q) Like you say, many people may not realise how strong Japanese rugby is and the Wild Knights are one of the country’s glamour clubs. Have you explored moving elsewhere or have you found your happy place?
A) My mindset was I had nothing going for me.
And when I came to Panasonic I had no backup plan, no nothing.
It was like they had given me my second chance sort of thing so my mindset was just to stay at that.
It was good when we got to play in that Brisbane 10s tournament, when I went back and played in that it was pretty cool because obviously a lot of people didn’t know much about Panasonic and were wondering where I ended up and what are you doing over there?
We had a really good performance in the 10s and it showed people back home how good Japanese rugby is.
Over time, the last four years, the big names that are moving to Japan from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, the word has got out there and Japanese rugby is more known.
And obviously from their performance at the World Cup.
I’ve found as the years go on that when everyone was asking me ‘why did you go over there,’ it’s now ‘how do I get over there?’
It’s becoming the comp that everyone wants to get their foot in the door in.
I was just lucky that I got my foot in early, Robbie gave me a chance and for me it’s never really been on the cards to go anywhere else.
I’ve had a couple of offers to go back to Australia and head overseas to England and stuff.
But I just thought that Pana gave me an opportunity when nobody would and there’s a fair bit of loyalty there.
So my mindset’s just been to grow as a rugby player at Pana.
I mean why not because the last couple of years they just keep signing massive names.
When I came over here I couldn’t catch and pass properly.
So Berrick Barnes sorted that out pretty quick.
He said ‘mate, you’ve got to learn how to catch and pass’ so he basically taught me.
I had a busted thumb so I wasn’t doing it properly so he taught me that.
Dan Heenan and Sam Wykes taught me how to jump because I’d never jumped before in a lineout.
We signed David Pocock and Poey showed me how to hit breakdowns properly, when to hit them and all those little tricks and secrets that he’s got.
That was a big one with Poey, in the backrow, just showing me all these tricks and stuff.
Even though I’m a bigger guy I should still be able to get on the ball so he was a real big asset for me, teaching me about the breakdown.
All these different players have built me into a rugby player.
We had Sam Whitelock and Damien de Allende come over last year.
Sam taught me more about lineouts and Damien taught me how to run off backs properly.
This year we had Hadleigh Parkes, a Kiwi bloke who has got over 50 caps for Wales, another one who’s shown me little things like how to carry a ball, another way to run off backs and then George Kruis, another big guy, British Lion, teaching me things in the lineout.
Each year I just find it unreal because I get access to these great players from all over the world.
I don’t think I would have ever got that in Australia so Japan’s made me into the player I am today.
If it wasn’t for Japan I’d definitely be in the army or a farmer somewhere, just an average Joe.
Q) Was your game previously all big ball carries and big hits? You’ve since added all these other strings to your bow?
A) Yeah I was just a big body at school.
Defence has always been a big strength of mine – I love tackling, I love big hits and ball carrying was another strength.
But I busted my thumb in high school and didn’t have time to get an op done.
So I made a thumb guard but my thumb was basically falling out of its socket during my last two years of high school.
So I couldn’t really catch or pass because I had this guard strapped on.
But yeah, at school I was just a big body, big lazy fella who didn’t know the game too much.
Coming to Japan showed me the level of fitness required because the speed of the game over here is one of the fastest in the world.
That was the first thing they did – get me fit and then after that just getting these top players in the game helping me in each area.
Beforehand I was a nobody, no chance, no nothing but given a bit of guidance from Robbie Deans and these players, they’ve turned me into an average bloody rugby player.
Getting access to all these legends, helping me make my way in the game.
https://twitter.com/RugbyOnNine/status/1450320431181828098?s=20
Q) So you’ve been in the Japan squad all year but you’re yet to make your debut. What has the experience been like?
A) Correct – I joined in May for the British Lions tour, another thing I never thought I’d be a part of, so to be considered and amongst those players was a big eye opener for me and also showed me how much more growth I’ve got in my game.
My next target now is obviously to get a jersey so I’m working towards that.
I didn’t get a run against the Lions but it was a big eye opener to the standards and level that’s required to play international rugby, especially the Japanese outfit.
The style that we play is one of the fastest in international rugby.
We like to play, keep the ball in game, we don’t like to play slow rugby and keep the ball in play for more than half the game, more than 40 minutes.
It’s been a real eye opener learning and adapting to that style of rugby.
So hopefully I can prove to the coaches I’m up to the level and get out there and represent Japan and try to give back a little of what Japan’s given to me.
https://twitter.com/StanSportAU/status/1449903129848393737?s=20
Q) What was the background to you representing Japan? Had it been on the radar for some time with Jamie Joseph?
A) Jamie talked to me a year or two prior before I qualified for Japan and just asked what my goals and intentions were and ‘would I like to play for Japan, is that a goal?’
I said ‘of course, I’d love to pull on the Japanese jersey and represent this country.’
But I knew I had a lot of work to do before then.
So there was that conversation and then over time, when I qualified ahead of the British Lions tour, my name was in there.
I thought I had a good year, thought I might get a look in but I was still very shocked and surprised when my name was in the squad.
I’m getting another chance now to have a go at it and hopefully this time I can show the coaches I can play at this level and get a jersey.
Q) Does Jamie Joseph see you as a blindside at Test level?
A) Yeah although I’m pretty happy to play anywhere in the backrow.
I’m starting to get to a level where I think I could play seven although whether I could play it at the international level or not, I don’t know.
At the moment one of my useful skills for Japan is that I can be a bit of a utility forward, play four, five, six, seven or eight, even though I’m not as tall as some of the locks going around.
That’s the type of player that Jamie and the staff want, to be a bit of a utility player that can play anywhere.
That’s my role at the moment, I’m jumping between lock and backrow, trying to learn all the tricks of the trade.
https://twitter.com/FreemanrugbyJPN/status/1447429220917932034?s=20
Q) You are clearly still a proud Aussie – so what would it mean to debut against the Wallabies? I’m sure you’re trying to stay focused but have you allowed your mind to wander?
A) I try to think day to day, learning all I can to be available for that game but yes your mind does wander and think ‘shit, what a feeling that would be to have my debut against the country I grew up in.’
All my family and friends are from Australia and it’s definitely something really personal and a big goal of mine to debut against Australia.
I couldn’t think of a better way to debut than against Australia and a couple of former teammates like Len Ikitau and Darcy Swain.
I went to school with them and a lot of guys in that Wallabies squad now are either guys I know or have played against over the years.
It would be a fairytale story to have my debut against Australia but anything can happen in rugby.
There’s a lot of ifs and buts so I just stick to the day to day grind and hopefully come Saturday I get named and get a chance to play my first international game against Australia.
That would be a dream come true.
Whether or not I’m in the team I’m still happy and proud of myself to be a part of this environment.
If you’d asked me five years ago what I thought I’d be doing, I would have said in the army or a farmer or something.
To be involved in this environment, I’ve already accomplished a lot of goals and proven a lot of people wrong.
My next goal is to prove a couple more people wrong and prove something to myself as well, that I’m an international rugby player.
Q) You were in the same school first XV as Len Ikitau and Darcy Swain?
A) Yeah at Brisbane Boys’ College, from 2013-15 so I got to play with both Lenny and Darcy.
It’d be pretty special to debut against them, they’re going so well.
I keep my eye on those two, I know all their tricks of the trade because they’ve been doing the same things since high school.
It’d be quite cool to get on the same field as them.
Q) So there’s been plenty of banter between you lot I imagine?
A) Yeah it’s been good talking to them not just recently but the last couple of years.
When Len and Darcy had their Super Rugby debuts it was big congratulations, when I had my Top League debut vice versa, they congratulated me.
So it’s been good staying in touch the last couple of years.
When I played Super, same thing, when I first played for the Sunnies (Sunwolves) they congratulated me and now getting to the next level, it’s a great journey.
To grow up with these guys, play with them as kids, I went overseas but we still stayed in contact, they were doing good things in Oz, I’m trying to do good things over here.
And at the end of the day we meet on the same field at international level.
I think it’s a pretty cool story and it’s great that we can stay in contact.
But come gameday, if I’m on the field and they’re on the field, there’s no friends on the footy field.
I’ll be trying to hit them harder than they’re hitting me.
Q) It must be a great help that a lot of foreign-born players are with you in the Brave Blossoms squad. How do you integrate into the Japanese culture?
A) Yeah it’s a very unique environment in the Japanese national team.
We’ve got guys from all over – Tongans, New Zealanders, Aussies, South Africans.
So it’s very unique.
I’ve been a part of a couple of teams but never one that’s had this unique chemistry.
Because there’s that Japanese culture that we all follow and take on board and learn but it is good to have the input of the experienced guys that have played in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
I look at it as an advantage for us.
We keep our Japanese culture and roots but also understand all these other cultures and adapt and bring in new ideas from all over the world.
I find it very unique and I don’t think I’ll ever experience anything like it, what the Blossoms bring.
Having the Japanese people behind you – they’re the best fans in the world.
As you saw with the support they got at the last World Cup, it was crazy and before that with the Sunnies – they had one of the biggest fan bases and they were the newest team in Super Rugby.
So it just goes to show how good the Japanese people are, to have that group of respected and honourable people behind you makes pulling on that jersey even more special.
Q) Jamie Joseph played the same position and the same abrasive style as you. Has he given you much specialised coaching?
A) He has when he can.
It’s been quite tough because we’ve had a short time to prepare due to COVID.
Lockdowns and players and coaches not being able to get in from overseas and stuff – our time has been short.
He’s tried his best to give me coaching and tips along the way.
We’re all trying to learn our new shapes, how the Blossoms play.
He’s really helped me with my lineout jumping, made that a key factor that I have to improve on as well as my general game.
He’s been a real help but he’s under the pump because he’s got 47 players that are all wanting that one on one coaching.
The best thing about this team is that the players step up and help you.
I’m getting a lot of help from my teammates, on and off the field.