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Recent monstrous tackles confirm Fekitoa's reputation as Wasps midfielder to be feared
Dai Young is backing World Cup-winning centre Malakai Fekitoa to unleash his “monstrous” tackling on Northampton on Sunday and deliver another performance to confirm his reputation as a midfield force to be feared in Gallagher Premiership.
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Fekitoa has taken time to find his form after joining Wasps from Toulon in the summer but he was central to the team’s morale-boosting 26-21 victory over Bristol at Ashton Gate last weekend.
A member of the All Black 2015 World Cup-winning squad, Fekitoa won 24 caps before heading to France and has was added to the Wasps backline to give them some added midfield physicality – something they lack without the 27-year-old in the line-up.
Director of rugby Young now wants to see Fekitoa deliver more of his impressive ball-carrying and tackling against second-placed Northampton, whose defence was repeatedly opened up by Gloucester a week ago.
Young told RugbyPass: “We knew about the physicality he brings and in fairness to Malakai he is getting better with every game. Like any player coming into a new team, it takes time to settle although being in Toulon for two years makes it a little easier.
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“However, you still have to get used to the defensive and attacking patterns. He is starting to show the potential and quality that we know he possesses. He wasn’t fully fit in his first couple of games for us because he was carrying a bit of a knock into pre-season and now he is looking sharper.
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“He gives us something we don’t have in the rest of our backline because we have a lot of nice players but lack that physicality. Malakai has given us that and in the last two or three games he has come up with some monstrous tackles which gets everyone up.
“With his ball carries he never fails to beat the first guy which puts you on the front foot and opens up space for others to exploit. It is also important that he is getting more and more comfortable off the pitch because he is a quiet guy.
‘Scotland have got to win some away games in the Six Nations… psychologically, we have got to be more resilient when things don’t go well’
– Ex-assistant Matt Taylor on what next for Scotland ahead of his departure for the Wallabies. @JLyall93 reports 📈https://t.co/9vmtXfUliI— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 3, 2020
“He is now speaking more and offering opinions. When you sign a player with his kind of experience you are hoping he brings other things with him besides his play so that others can learn and feed off. We are pleased with him but don’t think we have yet seen the best of Malakai. There is more to come.”
Young is also predicting Fekitoa will forge an increasingly dangerous double act with fellow All Black Lima Sopoaga once the out-half recovers from his recent illness. “Malakai’s arrival has already impacted on Lima who has been really unlucky in the last couple of weeks with a chest and throat infection.
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“Before his illness, I thought he was looking like a different player and starting to play with confidence and a smile on his face. Malakai helps this because they used to play together. I am sure we will see that partnership really start to flourish.”
“PRO14 rugby is much more exciting than Premiership rugby, has been for years."
– Michael Bradley talks Prem v PRO14 with @heagneyl 👨💼https://t.co/iTlvoOlb8y
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 29, 2019
Young missed Nizaam Carr’s last-gasp try which gave Wasps the win at Bristol because he was in a lift travelling down to the dressing room level from his place in the stand. “We have got hold of that lucky lift and installed it in the Ricoh Arena,” he joked.
“You can score points against Northampton and open them up in midfield, but we know they are a dangerous side.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments