Leeds Rhinos prop Peteru warming to unfamiliar surroundings

Peteru missed Rhinos’ Boxing Day win at Wakefield due to injury, but came off the bench early in the second half of the 16-4 pre-season defeat at Castleford Tigers two days ago.

Grim conditions ruined the game as a spectacle, but Peteru reckoned it was a valuable experience for him as he adjusts to his new club.

“It was interesting; I’ve never played in conditions like that before,” reflected the 26-year-old prop.

“It was a bit of a test for me. I’ve only trained with the boys twice since I’ve been here. I hadn’t done a lot of team stuff and I just wanted to test myself out and see where I was at.

“I kind of know where I need to get to now.”

Peteru was born in Auckland and played 21 times for Gold Coast Titans in the NRL before joining Rhinos on a three-year contract.

He admitted his first few months in England are all about getting to know his new teammates and the style of rugby and conditions in Betfred Super League.

“Coming into a new team, I am seeing how everyone plays,” he added.

“I haven’t seen a lot of the boys play so I am looking forward to getting a bit more training under my belt with the boys and building up some combinations.

“I hurt my hamstring in my first session, so I didn’t really get through that. I only really trained with the boys the last two sessions [before last weekend’s game].

“It’s not ideal, but you’ve just got to get on with it because we’ve got a big season ahead.

“I’ll get some more training in this week and we’ll see how we go.”

Rhinos will send a team to Featherstone Rovers on Friday and begin their league programme away to Warrington Wolves six days later.

After his introduction to English rugby last Sunday, Peteru is hoping conditions improve before his next run-out.

The game was played on a heavy pitch in sleet and driving rain and veteran forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan described it as the coldest he has ever been during a game.

It was a far cry from the Gold Coast, but Peteru insisted he feels better for having some match action under his belt.

He said: “You learn more in a game than you do at training.

“I learned quite a few things – just how the boys get around and how they play. It was enjoyable, but the playing conditions were tough.

“I haven’t seen much of snow or mud – in New Zealand I played in a bit of mud, but not since then.

“It was a good experience and I’m looking forward to building on that over the next couple of weeks before round one.”

Rhinos’ full squad, along with former stars Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow, attended a civic reception yesterday to celebrate last season’s Grand Final win.