'I'd love to play for Samoa': Highlanders star reveals test ambitions as Kazuki Himeno's debut delayed
Highlanders midfielder Patelesio Tomkinson has revealed he is harbouring ambitions to play for Samoa should he fail to make the All Blacks.
Born and raised in Dunedin, the 24-year-old is eligible to represent the Pacific Island nation through his mother, who he said would be “proud” if he opted to play for Manu Samoa.
“That’s in the back of my mind at the moment, to play for Samoa,” Tomkinson told media on Wednesday. “It’d probably be good for my mum. She’s Samoan, [she’d] probably be proud for me to play for Samoa.”
That doesn’t mean the hard-hitting second-five has strayed away from his childhood dream of playing for the All Blacks, though.
In fact, the All Blacks coaches showed some interest in Tomkinson by naming him in the South Island squad for last year’s North vs South clash in Wellington.
Although he wasn’t included in the match day side, the fact he was named in the squad illustrates his how highly he is regarded by the national bosses.
Like many Kiwi kids, playing for the All Blacks was the ultimate goal for Tomkinson growing up, and while he would welcome the opportunity to play for Samoa, donning the black jersey remains a priority.
“As a little kid, you want to be an All Black and you want to play test footy and see what that is about. If I don’t become an All Black, hopefully [I can] push my case for Samoa,” he said.
Emphasising his desire to play for the All Blacks, Tomkinson said he “idolised” former All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu, who he played against twice during the 2019 Super Rugby season, as a child.
“I always idolised Ma’a Nonu. Was happy as to see him come down to the Landers in 2013, but we can forget that season,” Tomkinson joked, making reference to the year the Highlanders finished second-last despite their all-star roster.
Despite becoming a regular member of the Highlanders’ match day side in recent seasons, Tomkinson finds himself behind a logjam of talent in the national pecking order.
Rieko Ioane, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ngani Laumape, Braydon Ennor and Peter Umaga-Jensen are all capped midfielders fighting for four or five places in the All Blacks squad, leaving Tomkinson and other uncapped midfielders with plenty to overcome to make the New Zealand side.
However, Tomkinson’s explosive defence gives him a point of difference to most of his other peers.
Former All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams has confirmed his retirement from both rugby union and rugby league as he prepares to resurrect his boxing career.https://t.co/WWqrPMnwKq
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His ability to poleaxe defenders in destructive fashion has been seen regularly during his time with the Highlanders and Otago, which led ex-Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger to liken him to former Samoan hitman Brian Lima in 2019.
Those defensive traits were even seen as recently as last Friday, when he ploughed through All Blacks captain Sam Cane – no slouch by any means – during his side’s 39-23 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton.
It isn’t the first time Tomkinson has laid Cane out, having produced a similar effort during a Mitre 10 Cup semi-final between Otago and Bay of Plenty in 2016, but those dynamite shoulders have also come with numerous disciplinary issues.
Tomkinson has seen plenty of yellow and red cards throughout his career for mistimed or ill-judged tackles that have either left opposition players injured or have just been plain dangerous.
The most recent example came last year, when Tomkinson was red-carded and banned for six weeks for a solid tackle that saw his shoulder connect with the head of Auckland playmaker Simon Hickey while playing for Otago.
Hickey’s Auckland teammate and incumbent All Blacks midfielder Rieko Ioane, who was Tomkinson’s midfield partner in the 2014 New Zealand Schools side, labelled the tackle as a “cheap shot” immediately after the match.
In the months beforehand, Tomkinson had already received two yellow cards while playing for the Highlanders for similar offences, the first of which came when his shoulder collided with the head of Brumbies fullback Tom Banks last February.
That was later deemed to have been worthy of red card, leading to a three-week suspension, while an off-the-ball shoulder charge on Crusaders prop Oli Jager last August also saw him spend time in the sin bin while Jager was hospitalised.
A year before that, Tomkinson was red-carded in the Highlanders’ 2019 season-opener for what was deemed at the time to be a dangerous tackle on Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick, but that was later rescinded by SANZAAR.
With such a tainted disciplinary record, that could be what’s holding Tomkinson back from higher honours, but he believes he has improved his tackling technique and can remain just as impactful while aiming to tackle lower.
Hurricanes star Asafo Aumua is in doubt to face the Chiefs next Saturday after he left the field with a shoulder injury in his side's defeat to the Crusaders. #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/UgKxvhrRE2
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“A big work on for myself is getting my tackle height right,” he said.
“We’ve got a good defence coach here, Shane Christie, who’s put in a lot through the pre-season, so, for me, I’m feeling comfortable with the way I’ve been tracking. It’s been good.”
So far this season, Tomkinson’s defensive discipline has been good, with last week’s yellow card against the Chiefs more to do with cynicism at the breakdown than dangerous tackling.
Under the guidance of Christie, Tomkinson could develop into a leading figure at the Highlanders, but how long he stays at his hometown franchise for is another question.
Contracted to the side until next season, Tomkinson refused to be drawn into whether he sees himself as a one-club man as the lure of offshore money and Super Rugby expansion into the Pacific looms on the horizon.
“I don’t really try to look too far ahead, sort of just that one-year basis and try focus my goals on that year and try get the best out of it, and after that year, I’ll re-focus again.”
Regardless, Tomkinson will be favoured to start his third straight match against the Blues in Auckland this weekend, but the same can’t be said of star Japan recruit Kazuki Himeno.
The Brave Blossoms loose forward has been training with the Highlanders since first joining the squad after leaving his mandatory two-week quarantine period in the lead-up to the season-opener against the Crusaders last month.
Highlanders head coach Tony Brown said ahead of that match the 17-test international would be ready to play against the Blues this Sunday.
However, assistant coach Clarke Dermody provided an update on Wednesday that Himeno would instead play for the franchise’s reserve team, the Bravehearts, this weekend.
“It’s still pretty early. The plan is that he’ll play for the Bravehearts in Pleasant Point. Looking really good on the training field, so now it’s just getting some rugby he hasn’t played for a long time,” Dermody said.
Super Rugby could finally have Pacific Island representation by next year after New Zealand Rugby agreed to a "game changer" broadcast revenue sharing agreement with two of the competition's prospective franchises.https://t.co/GCEL6JCZvJ
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Another player who can definitively be ruled out of the Blues match at Eden Park is loosehead prop Daniel Lienert-Brown, who left the field against the Chiefs last week with a fractured forearm.
He is expected to be out of action until late April, becoming the third prop – after three-test Wallabies tighthead Jermaine Ainsley and loosehead Ayden Johnstone – to register on the Highlanders’ injury list.
Dermody said the club have called Hawke’s Bay prop Namatahi Waa, formerly of the Blues, into the squad for the week as injury cover.
The 30-year-old’s call-up is indicative of a growing relationship between the Highlanders and the North Island province, which has seen the Magpies’ head coach Mark Ozich take charge of the franchise’s U20 side.
“We’re pretty closely linked with the Hawke’s Bay boys at the moment, so they recommended Namatahi quite highly,” Dermody said.
No replacement, meanwhile, will come in for new midfield signing Fetuli Paea, who has been ruled out for the season with a high ankle sprain.
The Highlanders team to face the Blues will be named on Friday.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
18 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
18 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
18 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
18 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
18 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
18 Go to commentsI hadn’t watched much Canes this season but sat through a replay of that Chiefs game with no distractions. That pack is beastly. I really like the look of Iose. He loves the tough stuff. The first Quins clip may be the best I have even seen for a TH driving his opposite into oblivion. i need to take your word for the contribution of Walker, but Collier there with a straight back pushing up from under was a lovely thing to see. Have you fallen in love with Baxter also, Nick? I think Stuart Barnes may have written his column about him recently, naked. He positively frothed.
15 Go to commentsSmart guy. I wish he was running the RFU or something!
3 Go to commentsWhy Barrett, when Leinster already have at least 4 top centres.?
15 Go to comments