The 120kg All Black 'casually' clocking 9.4 metres a second in Blues training sessions
England centre Joe Marchant, who’s currently enjoying a club swap with the Blues in Auckland, has been revealing just how athletic his new teammates are. Marchant has spent 2020 in New Zealand with the Blues thanks to an agreement between the two organisations and is due to return on July 1, allowing him to take part in the opening rounds of the all-New Zealand tournament which began this weekend.
Speaking with Harlequins coach Nick Evans and centre Francis Saili on a video call, Marchant was gushing in his praise of his colleagues.
‘To be fair a load of the boys have crazy skills. Some of the back rows especially, like Hoskins Sotutu, the No.8 that’s come through, he’s been unreal,” said Marchant.
“Mark Telea just beats people, for anything, he can sprint, stop, fend, anyone. In games there’s nothing they [defenders] can do about it. It’s just crazy.
“I can’t remember what game it was but, I think it was the Waratahs, where he scored two. He got the ball and the winger is just coming across, and he just did the most casual fend. I’m like ‘mate, how are you doing this?’.
Derby games between the New Zealand Super Rugby sides have been especially hyped-up.
“The difference with the New Zealand games, not only were they all derby games, but when you’re playing against a New Zealand team, they were like this is a huge, huge game. All three of them were your derby games. There was a bit of everything in those games.”
Marchant says that despite their size, some of the Blues forwards are ‘absolutely rapid’, including one 6’6, 120kg All Black second row, Patrick Tuipulotu, who has shocked the Englishman with the GPS times he’s clocking in training.
“When you come up against the South Africans you just know they are going to be more direct and physical. It was weird because I was kind of thinking that when you go into, you want to dominate at set-piece, but actually a lot of the forwards we got were still enormous but you forget about that, as the game is quite quick.
“Even the second rows are absolutely rapid. Like Patrick Tuipulotu who is getting 9.4 metres a second in training.
“That’s ridiculous. If I’d got that in a session, I’d be like ‘yeah, sweet, I’d done my metres. Just a second row casually doing that.”
Marchant was also asked about ‘Big Dog’ Beauden Barrett, who was back training with the Blues.
“I’ve only played two sessions with him. He came in the week before lockdown. We had come back from three away games on the bounce.
“We walked past him in a little kicking session. So we went over and say hello.”
Marchant by his own admission is loving the experience of living in New Zealand and playing Super Rugby.
“It’s been amazing, I’ve absolutely loved it. Just living on the other side of the world. Just travelling around and seeing the beaches, getting down to Queenstown, it’s just made such a difference. The rugby as well, it’s just been such a different experience. You know, going for two weeks to play in South Africa, playing New Zealand rugby. It’s just been amazing.”
Marchant has previously labelled the competition as being “on a different planet”. He’s starred for Leon MacDonald’s side as they won five of their seven Super Rugby matches before the tournament was suspended by SANZAAR, but he will now have the opportunity to play alongside new signing Dan Carter in the Blues’ star-studded backline.
Comments on RugbyPass
anybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
3 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
30 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
9 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
9 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
30 Go to commentsGood option for the lineout lost there.
1 Go to commentsIt’s not like Saffas have a long history of spouting absolute shite at any & every occasion. Oh wait… The dangers of an inferior third world education strike again.
30 Go to commentsI’m so glad we’re revisiting this. Really needs to be dissected further. I’m also so glad that a guy in the stands who wasn’t anywhere near the field when any of it would have been said (and even confirms this) has taken the lead and commented as Ireland. Definitely cleared it all up. This article would be hilarious if it wasn’t so misleading.
30 Go to commentsits such a shame he hasn’t achieved more success at club level. He’s really not been a potent finisher for a while now, but he’s still excellent in the kick chase. That’s the kind of skillset that generally only gets appreciated when you’re playing in premiership and european finals. I’m not sure whether the challenge cup counts given the quality of the competition seems lower than in previous years, but his duel with Mapimpi should be enthralling.
1 Go to commentsThe point is the irish players were arrogant,call it like you want sugar coat it aswell but they were you could see it in their way they handeled themselfs on the field when they got something right so dont tell me it was not arrogance it was,you can fool other people but not me,and to say to one of our players see you in the final put a nail in the coffin for this bullsh@t,just be grown men and accept it that you were arrogant,you could if seen it from a mile away, and then you lost to the allblacks what a cocky move that didnt work out for you ,Eben was right when he said u were arrogant,the point is you will deny it because you lost it all just grow some balls and move on we had won you lost accept it.
30 Go to comments“summer tour of North and South America” so its a summer tour of america?
1 Go to commentsEverybody is giving the Irish players the benefit of the doubt in ‘what they meant’, but none of these pundits or commentators offer the same courtesy to Eben. I don’t think Eben went, 1, 2, 3… etc. What might have happened is he didn’t count and when the 3rd or 5th guy said he went, hang on why are so many of them saying this… and then started to concentrate on it more and more as players continue to say it. So no, he didn’t count it, he realised many Irish players said it and made an assumption based on that… The Irish team was VERY confident at the time and I do believe they believed they were going to win the World Cup, which borders a bit on the arrogant side…
30 Go to commentsI can see how some of the Irish players would have said”see you in the final” as a gentle comment after a victory. It’s open to interpretation but it’s clumsy language. I don’t know the fella but I assure you Eben doesn’t have an axe to grind with Ireland. He has never been the media seeking pro. Oh and BTW it is I’ll be our winter in July so won’t be wet.
30 Go to comments*McCloskey*: _I saw this clip. Like, I wasn’t playing that game; I was in the stands…so you don't know sh!t in other words, infact you know just as much as Goode on this matter. I will believe the guy who was on the pitch when things were said as appose to two people speculating over what was said._
30 Go to comments@ turlough dream on buddy. Your boys are in for one tough time down in sa this summer…
30 Go to commentsI think Goode is looking to establish a platform for himself. Eben said “Probably” so that suggests he wasn’t counting. It’s an estimate Goode. I think even with your short and uneventful experience with the Sharks you probably realise winding up Saffas will get you some airtime. It’s a none event. Move on
30 Go to commentsRugby has never been as structured and synthetically pleasing as it is at this moment. The game is simply beautiful and messing with it too much will ruin it for everyone. I can't help but feel that over the past decade or so many rules have been changed to accommodate a certain hemisphere and counter another. Perhaps I am wrong but I somehow don’t think so.
2 Go to commentsNoted some excellent defensive steals from the Rebs last week against the Reds, largely J Canham, I think. It’s not a Rolls Royce but they are a real threat with their defensive line out at the beginning matches. What do you make of Canham Nick, WBs squad material?
86 Go to comments