All Blacks legend Jeff Wilson questions whether Leicester Fainga’anuku could become a hybrid weapon for New Zealand following his star turn at flank for the Crusaders.
Fainga’anuku’s switch from the backline to loose forward paid off with a Man-of-the-Match display against the Waratahs last week.
The move has sparked debate about “hybrid” players in the Land of the Long White Cloud, a tactic successfully employed by Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks.
The Boks have thrived with versatile players such as Kwagga Smith and André Esterhuizen, who can cover in the forwards and backs.
Rassie Erasmus has also deployed the likes of Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden at flank and hooker in a bid to have one player cover multiple positions.
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Speaking on Sky Sports NZ‘s “The Breakdown”, Wilson was impressed by Fainga’anuku’s performance but remained cautious.
“Look, it was an outstanding performance on a short turnaround,” he said. “I thought instinctively his positional play… was really good, but his skillset still came to the fore.”
Fainga’anuku revealed that he had only had a single day of practice on the side of the scrum before Crusaders boss Rob Penney deployed him against the Tahs.
Wilson discussed the hybrid experiment with fellow former All Black Lima Sopoaga and ex-Wallabies centre Morgan Turinui .
“Is he a viable option? Whether it works at the next level, I’m not quite convinced of that just yet,” Wilson added.
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Sopoaga added: “The skillset of Kwagga Smith is that he is fast, elusive, and he can do things in the backs that he can also do in the forwards.”
The key, according to Wilson, lies in system fit and he questioned whether this would work under the Dave Rennie system at the All Blacks.
“I think it’s the style of football they play in South Africa as well. The fact that they are confrontational. Kwagga is a powerful and dynamic player. You talk to anyone, and he’s like a brick wall,” he said.
“I think his skillset absolutely suits that, and the way the Springboks play, whether or not the All Blacks start going down that path, does that suit the way Dave Rennie wants to play?”
“It’s something you consider,” he concluded. “But you also have to think whether they are a lineout option or not.”
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
The post Wilson: Can All Blacks use Leicester like Kwagga? appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
All Blacks legend Jeff Wilson questions whether Leicester Fainga’anuku could become a hybrid weapon for New Zealand following his star turn at flank for the Crusaders.
The post Wilson: Can All Blacks use Leicester like Kwagga? appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
