Brady Rush may have a father who was perhaps the greatest sevens player New Zealand ever produced, but he showed at Eden Park that he could achieve something Eric could only ever dream of.
The All Blacks Sevens defeated Australia 24-12 and 26-19 in games either side of the Blues 48-21 win over the Waratahs.
The 22-year-old Rush scored the All Blacks Sevens opening try on Saturday, to further enhance his chances of making the cut for the Tokyo Olympics in July.
His dad Eric Rush spent 14 years playing sevens for New Zealand and won Commonwealth Gold medals in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Manchester in 2002.
But it was 14 years after he hung up the boots that sevens became an Olympic sport.Brady, who played for Northland in the NPC last season, was given a contract for the All Blacks Sevens team at the beginning of the year, so hopes that if he can keep impressing the teams coach Clark Laidlaw, hell be on that plane to Tokyo.
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It would be pretty special, Rush said.
But Ive still got to work towards trying to make that team.
There are 16 going over and there are 22 of us here. So Ill put my best foot forward and well see what happens.
The first game of the day was an entertaining win to the All Blacks Sevens, but the real drama came in the second clash, where they chased down a 19-0 deficit.
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Brady Rush got the scoring underway for the All Blacks Sevens team at Eden Park on Saturday.
Australia played patient sevens rugby at the start of the game, waiting for a gap to appear in the New Zealand defence and when one did pop us after three minutes of play Maurice Longbottom was in.
This was backed up by tries to Henry Hutchison down the right wing and Nick Malouf down the middle as Australia jumped out to a 19-0 lead, with a try to Andrew Knewstubb at the hooter New Zealands only score of the half.
Knewstubb set up a try for Vilimoni Koroi early in the second half and Joe Webber continued the comeback for New Zealand in the 11th minute, levelling the scores up at 19-19.
Understrength New Zealand Sevens tame Australia in Game 3.
Then with a minute to go, William Warbrick pulled off a great fend, then raced off for the match winner.
The boys really put it on and we came out of the depths to pull it back, Rush said of the comeback.
The boys believe in each other and everyones willing to work for each other, just to show that we can come from anything to get the win.
The All Blacks Sevens team have had a few low key games recently as they build towards Tokyo, but this six-game series against Australia over three days takes things up a level.
Even though theyve won all four games so far, they have been pushed.
Its been good to play the Aussie team and some different kind of footy, Rush said.
Weve had some previous games against Tonga and Samoa, which were brutal, but these were quick, nippy fellas, so its good to see some different rugby.
Following in his fathers footsteps, Brady is going to be largely known as Erics son, until he establishes his own career.
But he says Eric, who these days is the owner operator of the New World in Whangarei, lets him get on with his footy career himself.
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Kitiona Vai at full stretch scored the final try in the All Blacks Sevens’ first game at Eden Park on Saturday.
Hes trying to stay away a bit and let me do it myself, so hes been good, Brady said.
However, sevens does appear to be in the Rush familys blood as Brady says he loves this form of the game.
Ive always enjoyed it, he said.
Theres a bit more space than in 15s and the team environment is a bit tighter because there are only seven of you on the field and youve got to rely on each other a bit more.
The series against Australia concludes at Orakei Domain on Sunday.
Eric Rush never got to play in the Olympics, but his son looks to be on the path to achieve that as the All Blacks Sevens dominate Australia.
