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'I was pretty stoked to be in the conversation at all': What the selectors told Marino Mikaele-Tu'u following his breakout Super Rugby season
Having lost four international loose forwards from last year, 2020 was always shaping up as a massive challenge for the Highlanders. When push came to shove, however, the team’s young loosies stepped up – none more so than Hawke’s Bay No 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u.
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Gone from the 2019 side that scraped into the quarterfinals were Liam Squire, Luke Whitelock, Jackson Hemopo and Elliot Dixon. Five rounds into the season, captain James Lentjes was also struck from the roster due to a cruel leg injury.
Having boasted one of the most talented and experienced loose forward trios in recent years, the Highlanders were suddenly relying on men with just a handful of Super Rugby caps – plus reinvigorated openside flanker Dillon Hunt and powerhouse Shannon Frizell.
Mikaele-Tu’u was perhaps the surprising star performer, however. Having debuted for the Highlanders in 2018 but managing just seven appearances over the past two seasons, there were few across the country who really knew what to expect from the 23-year-old. Very quickly, though, people started to take notice of the former Hastings Boy’s High School student.
“With the likes of Luke Whitelock and Liam Squire, I think the Highlanders had the best loose forwards, if not in the world, definitely in the country,” Mikaele-Tu’u told RugbyPass.
“With all those boys leaving, obviously there were spots to fill this year. I was still fighting for positions with the likes of Teariki Ben-Nicholas, who’s coming through the ranks, but off a pretty good pre-season and whatnot, I was given the early starts.”
It’s fair to say that Mikaele-Tu’u made the most of his opportunities and within weeks of the competition kicking off, there were rustlings that the Hawke’s Bay loose forward could be on the track to national selection – but that had never been the expectations. Mikaele-Tu’u was just trying to not let his teammates down.
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“I was really nervous going into that first game. It was just the pressure of thinking, ‘Man, if I don’t play well then I’m going to lose all the ground I’ve made and have to try grind my way back to a position in the team.’
“Over time, the more games you’ve played, it just becomes more normal and more comfortable and then, by the middle of the season, you’re just running out there and you know it’s just another game.”
Come the end of Super Rugby Aoteroa, Mikele-Tu’u sat inside the competition’s top ten performers for carries, metres gained and clean breaks, while he topped the charts in offloads.
That was possible thanks to an expertly devised game plan that allowed the big No 8 to make the most of his size and skill.
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“It was really just part of how Brownie [assistant Tony Brown] wanted the boys to play. The game plan that we ran with gave me opportunities out wide and gave me the ball to play against some of the smaller guys on the field.
“Every time I got the ball, I ended up running at one of the smaller guys and that usually worked out well for me. I don’t think I would be doing any good running at the tight five.”
Halfback Aaron Smith – comfortably the most experienced player in the side, with 150 Highlanders matches under his belt – also worked well with Mikaele-Tu’u to find opportunities to exploit on the park.
“Aaron Smith was unreal for me, as a young loose forward; he would always give you little pointers during the game. He’d say things like, ‘You can attack this hole. I don’t think they’ll tackle you, and then I’ll run off you.’ Little things like that, it gives you a lot of confidence.”
Mikaele-Tu’u was quick to heap praise on his fellow loosies, Frizell and Hunt. The trio started all eight of the Highlanders’ Aotearoa matches together.
“We had a pretty good connection. Dillon Hunt had a hell of a season, obviously, and Shannon Frizell was putting in pretty stand-up performances week-in and week-out.
“I feel like we really played a big part in everyone’s game which made it easier for our own jobs. Heading into the game week, we would get together, jot down what we needed to do to perform and get the advantage over the other loose forwards that we were coming up against.
“It was really good having Dillon out there, he was a bit of a leader amongst us loose forwards. Me and Shannon, we don’t really like to talk much, so he really took the wheel on that one. But it was really good, I really enjoyed the season and obviously we came away with some pretty good performances.”
“It was a dud year really – in a whole lot of ways.”
Former #AllBlacks fullback and @Highlanders legend Ben Smith spoke candidly with @TomVinicombe about his final season in New Zealand.https://t.co/SaZqz502np
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 27, 2020
At the end of the day, however, no matter how good the players are around you and how tactically astute the game plan is, it still takes an incredibly special talent to have your name bandied about as a potential All Blacks bolter.
Mikaele-Tu’u didn’t pay too much attention to the noise, however.
“There was obviously a little bit of chatter, it’s hard to ignore it completely,” he said. “Our media team always asked me if I could do a few interviews here and there.
“But I really try and block it out and just play my own game. I feel like if I get stuck up on that and I’m too worried about someone else’s opinion it ends up, you know, clogging up the way I perform.”
Still, like Highlanders supporters around the country, Mikaele-Tu’u was admittedly disappointed when he narrowly missed out on selection for the North v South exhibition match.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t – but it is what it is. To be honest, I was pretty stoked to be in the conversation at all.”
The selectors instead opted for Ardie Savea, Lachlan Boshier, Dalton Papalii, Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu while the likes of Luke Jacobson, Tom Robinson, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Sam Cane were also absent from the team for various reasons.
Effectively, Mikaele-Tu’u was pushed out simply due to the outrageous talent the North Island currently has on its hands.
“I think there were a lot of talks of wondering where New Zealand’s loose forwards were going to come from before the season kicked off but then it started and all the young fellas put their hands up,” Mikaele-Tu’u said.
“I guess it’s a tough year for selectors and picking their teams. For the overall picture, that’s good for New Zealand. It’s really good seeing how much depth we’ve got.”
And while the No 8 was absent from the North Island squad, he wasn’t ignored by the All Blacks coaches altogether.
“I had a bit of feedback on why I didn’t get selected and I’ve been given a few things that I need to go away and work on. That was a huge positive for me and I’ll take that feedback and run with it.
“I guess they didn’t really need to do that because I wasn’t really in that All Blacks frame, but it means I can get a bit of a head start on those work-ons and hopefully I can fix them during the Mitre 10 season.”
With the All Blacks potentially set to take an extended 46-man squad to Australia for the Rugby Championship this year, there’s still a chance that the 23-year-old gets the call up in the coming weeks.
For now, Mikaele-Tu’u will just be focussing on the Mitre 10 Cup – and getting his body back into top shape for what he’s really considering his second Super Rugby campaign next year.
“I like to call this my first year in terms of really getting game time and really playing footy for the Highlanders. Next year will be a more comfortable year, I think. I can just go on and I know what to expect and I know what I need to work on to try get to the next level. I know where I’m heading, I know what’s coming and I know how to prepare myself.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Well that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
2 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
2 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
2 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
18 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
18 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to comments