Although the current All Blacks team are not yet the finished article, forwards coach Jason Ryan is excited by their development and hailed the impact of young forwards Tupou Vaa’i and Wallace Sititi.
The duo were two of the All Blacks’ better performers during their recent Rugby Championship campaign and although his side finished second behind arch rivals South Africa in that competition, Ryan is excited by Vaa’i and Sititi’s progress ahead of the three-time world champions’ upcoming tour to Japan and Europe.
At the age of 24, Vaa’i is the older and more experienced of the duo after making his Test debut in 2020 in a Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia.
However, despite being a regular member in the All Blacks set-up for several years – he was on the fringes of their matchday squad at the start of the year – his game has come on in leaps and bounds during the Rugby Championship.
This is largely due to a second-row crisis which forced All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson to select him in the run-on side after first choice locks Scott Barrett and Patrick Tuipulotu were injured at different stages of the Rugby Championship.
Shone against the Springboks
Vaa’i eventually started all the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship Tests and caught the eye with several outstanding performances with his lineout work one of the standout features of his game, especially when he faced the Springboks – in Johannesburg and Cape Town – as he gave a good account of himself at the set-piece which is traditionally one of the the world champions’ strengths.
“Tupou’s been exceptional. Look, he’s carried on some great Super Rugby form,” Ryan told The Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“And I think I’ve said this before, what people probably don’t see is, I think it’s a reflection of playing a lot of rugby with Brodie Retallick at the Chiefs.
“And then he’s come in, he’s been in the All Black level when he’s worked alongside Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett and Paddy Tuips (Tuipulotu). You know, with him being injured, it became an opportunity for Toopes and he really took it. I think it’s a reflection of the work he does during the week, his homework and his preparation.
“And, you know, he’s becoming a man at the Test level, which is a lot different to Super level. He’s made the most of his opportunity and he’s a big part of our line-out group and a real leader within the forward pack.
“I’m really pleased for him. And the best is yet to come.”
Justin Marshall identifies who will be All Blacks’ toughest opponents on year-end tour
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Sititi started the last three matches of the Rugby Championship – one against the Boks and two against the Wallabies – and showed his class with some barnstorming runs as a ball carrier.
However, he was also caught the eye with impressive lineout work and was a valuable source of possession for the All Blacks at the set-piece.
‘There’s a lot of positives about Wallace’
“Yeah, look there’s a lot of positives about Wallace. You know, when you talk about a young player that’s arrived in the Test level and just thrived. It’s almost like the bigger the contest, the better he goes,” added Ryan.
“His explosive power with the ball, but also jumping through his instincts and his speed off the ground really helps the speed of our line-out.
“And if the boys know that they can hit the target and he might pluck out a few loose ones because of his skill in the air. Well, you know, he’s probably saved us a couple of times through no fault of anyone in particular.
“He’s really quick off the ground, which basically gets the ball in his hands and out of his hands to the nine really fast.”
Despite his young age and inexperience at Test level, Sititi has shown great composure since being elevated to the All Blacks’ run-on side.
“You know, he’s from a great family. He’s an extremely humble man,” added Ryan.
“He’s everything you’d want an All Black to be, really. He just, he gets about his work. He’s extremely grateful.
“He’s always looking to be better. He’s always asking lots of questions but by the time he gets to the game, we just want him to play and he’s done a great job with that.
“He’s been exceptional and I’m really proud of the work he’s done.”
READ MORE: All Blacks: Rugby World Cup breakout star returns to squad for end-of-year tour as veterans set for Test swansongs
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
