'he's Got No Fear' - Australia Pin Hopes On Hometown Hero Valetini

Australia v British and Irish Lions, 2nd Test

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday, 26 July Time: 11.00 BST

Coverage: Live matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website and app pinch post-match study connected BBC iPlayer, Radio 5 Live and nan Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

On nan backmost statement of an aged squad photo, thorax puffed retired pinch pride, stands Sione Tuipulotu.

Now a Lion, backmost past Tuipulotu, calved and brought up successful Melbourne, was representing Victoria's Under-12 authorities team.

The fresh grin and hefty build make him easy to prime retired much than 15 years on.

The boy opinionated successful beforehand of him is little readily recognisable though.

The hairsbreadth is shorter, nan framework is slimmer, but Rob Valetini, nan Wallabies' awesome second-Test hope, stares retired of nan aforesaid frame.

Had a fewer sliding doors lined up, Valetini and Tuipulotu could person been connected nan aforesaid broadside this weekend.

One broadside of Valetini's family, for illustration Tuipulotu's, has Scottish ancestry. Captain William Sinclair, a diplomat, was dispatched to Fiji successful nan 19th period and is his great-grandfather.

On his father's side, a way to Britain and Ireland opened up much precocious though.

"I was expected to travel to England to play for Bath," Valetini's begetter Manueli tells BBC Sport.

Manueli was a fast, beardown runner, tin of playing successful some nan backmost statement and centres, agelong earlier Levani Botia pulled nan aforesaid trick.

He had played against nan Wallabies for 1 of Fiji's location teams and was connected nan fringes of nan nationalist squad when, successful 1985, Bath offered to sponsor a move to nan different broadside of nan world.

"It was very adjacent to happening, but my dada told maine 'no, England is excessively far, you had amended spell to Australia aliases New Zealand'.

"I deliberation I made nan correct prime to travel to Melbourne."

Instead of Bath, Manueli turned retired for Harlequins - a squad who play successful nan celebrated quartered garment but successful southbound eastbound Melbourne, alternatively than southbound westbound London.

It was nan commencement of a family dynasty. Rob is nan youngest of Manueli and Finau's 8 children, their sixth son. Every weekend, each nan boys would play rugby for Harlequins.

"He was ever very beardown for his age," says Manueli of his youngest.

"He's sewage nary fearfulness of anybody, Robert."

Aged five, Valetini would travel location from schoolhouse connected a Friday and alteration consecutive into his Harlequins kit, sleeping successful it that nighttime truthful he was fresh for action connected Saturday morning.

Aged 12, tasked pinch penning astir his ambitions for his future, Valetini still had rugby first and foremost successful his mind.

"When I turn up I want to play for Australia successful rugby," he began

John Carey was 1 of Valetini's coaches during his clip astatine Melbourne Harlequins.

"You deliberation of him arsenic being very beingness now, but that was existent moreover astatine a very young age," Carey says.

"At nether 8 level, we played touch - a tackle was if you sewage 2 hands connected nan hips.

"But astatine nan extremity of nan season, you'd ever get nan tackle bags retired truthful that nan kids who were moving up to afloat interaction could commencement to practice.

"You'd get volunteers from nan parents to clasp nan tackle bags, and usually you've sewage these small kids who would conscionable bounce off.

"But nary of nan parents wanted to clasp nan tackle bags for Rob. He deed nan tackle bags really difficult moreover then.

"The family would spell successful nan backyard each nighttime and play rugby - full-on tackle, truthful astatine a young property he sewage utilized to being tackled by overmuch bigger kids.

"When he went retired connected nan section connected a Saturday he wasn't frightened of anyone."

Valetini's relative Kemu, 4 years older than Rob, plays fly-half for Super Rugby's Fijian Drua, while helping Bill, 3 years older, had a play pinch French Pro D2 broadside Colomiers earlier wounded ended his career.

But it is Rob who has risen highest successful nan game.

He missed nan Wallabies' first-Test conclusion by nan Lions successful Brisbane past play pinch a insignificant calf strain.

A victor of nan John Eales badge - awarded to Australia's champion subordinate - for nan past 2 seasons, his return is cardinal if nan hosts are to unit their measurement backmost into nan series.

Carey knows nan feeling.

"Rob was ever nan astir important subordinate successful our team," he remembers.

"But because he was nan youngest, if personification successful nan family wasn't going to get to a crippled connected nan weekend, it was going to beryllium Rob.

"So each mid-week training, I'd ever spell to Fi and Manu and connection to springiness him a lift, conscionable to make judge he'd get location connected Saturday."

Scouted by NRL broadside Melbourne Storm, Valetini opted to enactment successful national and signed for nan Brumbies successful Canberra astatine 17. He was only nan 2nd guardant to motion a afloat statement pinch an Australian Super Rugby broadside while still successful school.

Four days aft his 21st birthday, he made his Wallabies debut.

This Saturday, backmost successful his hometown, will beryllium nan biggest of his 53 caps truthful far.

There will beryllium 15 members of his family successful nan stands, returning nan support that an babe Valetini utilized to outcry from nan sidelines of their games.

"We are each going to watch it - each nan brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews," says mother Finau.

"It will beryllium a proud infinitesimal for nan family watching him play astatine nan crippled astatine nan MCG [Melbourne Cricket Ground].

"But I judge astir of each a proud infinitesimal for Rob - playing against nan British and Irish Lions, it comes up each 12 years and has ever been 1 of his goals I think.

"He loves Test matches, he loves playing for nan Wallabies."

It won't conscionable beryllium a family of 15 cheering him connected either.

Every Australian rugby instrumentality knows they request their prizefighter backmost rower astatine his hard-hitting champion to person a chance of taking this title to a last round.