Wallace Sititi is in line for World Rugby’s “breakthrough player of the year”. That’s the view from New Zealand, several former All Blacks keen to fete a young man with the eye-catching skills that enchant or bamboozle depending on the demarcation line; team-mate or “oppo”. He’s got the rugby tools to be a master craftsman.
Stephen Donald, the outhalf who kicked the All Blacks to victory in the 2011 World Cup final, remarked in a recent television panel discussion that he’s New Zealand’s player of the season. Former wing Jeff Goldie Wilson enthused: “His athleticism is special to make those line-breaks, he’s added an offload to his game. [You want him] to use his gifts, that late footwork at the line and the pace.”
Two legendary ex All Black number eights were equally effusive. Zinzan Brooke advocated that Sititi wear the eight rather than six jersey, while two-time World Cup winner Kieran Read admitted. “I have seen him live a couple of times in New Zealand. On TV you see him working hard but live, you can see where he fills the field.
“He knows where to go. He’s not just hunting the ball. So yes, he can do this amazing stuff, ball in hand, stepping players, offloads, and things like that. But his ability to fill space and communicate where that is, I think when you see him live, he’s special.”
Sititi’s progress is remarkable when considering that he only made his Super Rugby debut earlier this year, going from the bench to the starting number eight for the Chiefs. His impact in 13 appearances was of sufficient quality to persuade New Zealand head coach Scott Roberston to promote the 22-year-old to his maiden All Blacks squad.
He was preferred to Hoskins Sotutu — the 2024 Superb Rugby Pacific player of the year — in terms of the national reckoning. Speculation in the New Zealand media suggested that Sotutu, who won the last of his All Blacks caps in 2022, has had a chat with Steve Borthwick about switching allegiance to England. He also qualifies for Fiji.
Are New Zealand underdogs against Ireland?
The official line from the All Blacks’ camp is that Sotutu has a knee injury and that is why he remained at home as he considers knee surgery. Whatever the ins and outs, it reiterates Sititi’s standing within the squad. Born in Samoa, he qualifies for New Zealand through residency.
Sititi was one of 10 previously uncapped players who Robertson earmarked for Test rugby, but none can match his accelerated Test match profile. He made his New Zealand debut off the bench against Fiji in San Diego in July, fulfilled a similar impact role in the Rugby Championship defeat against Argentina, but wasn’t selected for the first of two games against South Africa.
An injury to Ethan Blackadder allowed him to go forth against the Springboks a week later in Cape Town, a first start in the unfamiliar blindside flanker position. He’s racked up a series of showreel moments since, the most recent of which was a man-of-the-match performance in the narrow victory over England at Twickenham.
He ran for more than 76m in 16 carries, had three line-breaks, achieved through audacious footwork and his one-handed, round the back of the tackler offload for Mark Tele’a’s first of two tries, demonstrated a physical pliability that bordered on a double-jointed elasticity. The timing and execution was perfect.
He’s not limited to cameos. Sititi did much the same in a game against Australia. He transfixes defenders and then leaves them grasping at air if they’re passive and sitting back on their heels. His acceleration is jet-heeled, his ability to pick his way through cluttered spaces impressive and his vision and octopian range of passing skills cause havoc.
Roberston said in the wake of the England game: “He’s incredible, well above his years in maturity and just keeps stepping up and rising up.”
It’s not off the stones he licked it, to use an Irish idiom. His father will be known to older readers, Semo Sititi, who played 59 Tests for Samoa, while playing club rugby with Cardiff, Borders and Newcastle Falcons.
Sititi the younger is named in honour of a Scottish hero, William Wallace, although he answers to the nickname Wally rather than Braveheart. His father explained his decision in an interview: “I talked to my wife and she said that we better start looking for a Scottish name for our son so that we could remember the time he was born. I found out about the Scottish hero William Wallace, so I thought that Wallace would be a special name for my son, as I couldn’t be at the birth because of working in Scotland.”
When Sam Cane moves to Japan after the tour, it’s expected that Ardie Savea may switch to openside with Sititi handed the number eight jersey. There’s a great deal of rugby to be played in November before then. How he fares against Ireland will be another benchmarking process. On the evidence of his fledgling Test career, he won’t be overawed.
For the Irish supporters and players, well they will hope that it’s a case of “where’s Wally” at the Aviva Stadium, difficult to pick out in the maelstrom of the match, rather than easily spotted in helping to shape a positive outcome for the visitors.
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