Will Genia

Halfback Genia, a former Australian captain with 110 tests for the Wallabies in a career that has taken him around the world, now plays club rugby in Japan on the back of a successful stint in France.

He’s no stranger to New Zealand shores with frequent Bledisloe Cup and Super Rugby battles and admits he has a soft spot for Kiwi playing fields.

“I’ve always wanted to maybe come over and play in New Zealand for a year or so. That’d be the dream, when I’ve finished,” Genia, 32, told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

Genia is back in Brisbane amid the coronavirus pandemic after spending a season with the Kintestsu Liners in Japan’s second-tier Top Challenge League following last year’s failed World Cup campaign with the Wallabies.

During his time back in Australia, the 32-year-old has been working with McDermott after fielding a call from Reds attack coach Jim McKay to help aid the development of the incumbent Queensland halfback.

Folau has found few supporters in the rugby community after attacking gay and transgender people on social media last week, which led to Rugby Australia terminating his $4 million contract, pending an upcoming hearing.

Folau confirmed to RA on Wednesday that he wanted a hearing to fight his dismissal, rather than accepting his fate; though his place in Australian rugby appears untenable whatever the outcome.

Genia followed Wallabies coach Michael Cheika in saying that he did not expect Folau to play for Australia again.

In 24 trans-Tasman encounters, Genia has only finished a winner three times and the 30-year-old admits he's fed up with losing to the 2011 and 2015 world champions.

In an interview in Tokyo ahead of the Australia and All Blacks clash, Genia laid bare the despair of a decade of Bledisloe Cup beatings as he eyes one last crack at the All Blacks before next year's Rugby World Cup.

"You get sick and tired of losing to them, but you also love playing them," Genia said, insisting the repeated poundings had left no psychological scarring.

The Wallabies head into Saturday's 2018 Bledisloe opener in Sydney trying to end New Zealand's 15-year hold on the trophy.

Asked what winning the Bledisloe would mean to the Wallabies Genia said: "everything".

"I can only speak from my personal point of view and for me, I'd have to say it's the pinnacle."

"The World Cup is obviously up there but how often do you get to play the best team in the world three times and have to win two out of three to win a trophy?"

"I've been trying for a while now so really looking forward to another crack."

Genia's first game in the blue, white and red of Melbourne will be against the Reds at AAMI Park, a role reversal Scott Higginbotham knows all too well.

Genia wasn't shy in dishing a few sledges Higginbotham's way when the No. 8 took his talents south in 2013 and the new Reds skipper cheekily suggested he may repay the favour.

"Probably not the same (level of) lip as when I wear I was wearing the red, white and blue jersey, to be honest," Higginbotham said with a laugh.

"It's just great to see Will back playing.

Genia was long adamant Queensland was his preferred destination for an Australian return, but with three halfbacks already on their books, the Reds could not accommodate the cost of their former nine.

"It was a simple decision because it didn't work out in terms of being accommodated at the Reds," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"So, I could've waited and waited until the 31st of December but I just decided to make a call and I'm pretty happy with my decision, pretty comfortable."

Genia had one of his worst games in recent memory, with two errors that led directly to Scotland’s opening tries, one an errant pass that led to Tatafu Polota-Nau throwing an intercept and the other a charge down that put Finn Russell over.

“I was responsible for 14 points there with a poor pass and a charge down which was quite big in terms of the result of the game. So, I take responsibility for that and it's obviously disappointing.”