The rise and rise of Dalton Papali’i
Dalton Papali’i’s selection as an All Black should surprise few.
With just seven Super Rugby caps to his name and one full season of provincial rugby under his belt, national selection may have come earlier than some expected, but it’s impossible to deny that his efforts on the field justify a place in Steve Hansen’s 32-man squad for November – the only uncapped player not in the wider group of 19.
Barely 21 years old, the dynamic loose forward offers extreme value both on and off the park and will be in the All Black frame for years to come. Now is as good a time as any to indoctrinate Papali’i into the All Black environment, as he rides a rich vein of form with Auckland.
Papali’i has been in the national setup for several years, representing New Zealand at schoolboy level while captaining Saint Kentigern College and winning consecutive world titles with the Under 20 side in 2016 and 2017.
The 2018 Mitre 10 Cup season has seen Papali’i’s star rise even higher as he helped guide Auckland to a top-of-the-table finish for the first time in eleven years.
Appearing in nine of Auckland’s ten matches, Papali’i has featured primarily at openside flanker after captain and Blues teammate Blake Gibson went down with a quad injury in week four of the competition.
A five-game stint in the No. 7 jersey was all that Papali’i needed to separate himself and impress selectors as a future Test flanker.
You’ll struggle to find someone hungrier for work around the park. As alluded to by head coach Alama Ieremia after Auckland’s 45-29 victory over North Harbour last weekend, the young loose forward’s defensive numbers speak volumes.
Tackle figures of 23, 29, 22, 21 and 20 in his last five starts make him one of the premier defensive players in both the competition and country. He’s also won eleven turnovers while conceding just one.
What is perhaps even more staggering than his remarkable tackle numbers is the astonishing accuracy with which Papali’i brings players down.
With 169 tackles made this season – good for close to 19 per contest – the hard-working flanker has missed just six times. Six. SIX. He actually didn’t miss a tackle until Auckland’s sixth match, and has a completion percentage of 97% heading into next weekend’s semi-final.
Listed at 1.93 metres tall and 113kg, he has the size and ability to play all three loose forward positions, something selectors covet. But it’s Papali’i’s growth as a pure No. 7 this season that has been simply incredible. He gives credit to Auckland forwards coach and former All Black Filo Tiatia.
“I felt like I’ve learnt a lot off Filo, the forwards coach,” Papali’i said. “But around my game, I knew the qualities of a seven, tackling and stuff, but they [the coaching staff] were showing me different ways of how to get to rucks and stuff like that.”
Next year Papali’i will be working closely with new Blues forwards coach and former Waikato loose forward Tom Coventry, who saw first-hand what the 21-year-old can do during Auckland’s victory over North Harbour.
“He gets himself down nice and low, comes forward off the line well,” Coventry, the current head coach of North Harbour, told RugbyPass. “He’s pretty accurate with his defensive work. Gets back to his feet quickly and is back in the game a lot and he complements a lot of the line breaks that are made. He’s often on the shoulder and he’s linking and lurking around the support play.”
“He’s physical and he’s got lineout ability as well. He ticks a lot of boxes.”
READ MORE: Papali’i primed for international stage
His defensive abilities come down to a perfect blend of his huge engine, extraordinary physical attributes and on-field intellect.
Against North Harbour – and plenty of opponents before them – Papali’i’s work around the breakdown and in the tackle was nothing short of surgical as he showcased an array of skills in bringing down the ball carrier or turning the ball over.
Seven minutes into the match, Papali’i won his first turnover after leaping past teammate Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa to steal the ball after Harbour No. 8 Murphy Taramai was tackled inside the Auckland 22. Unfortunately, after the impressive steal Taramai managed to get to his feet and force Papali’i into conceding a penalty for not releasing, but his early presence at the breakdown set the tone for the Aucklander’s defensive impact.
Ten minutes later that impact would be felt after Papali’i closed down on the Harbour attack following a Tumua Manu exit. One of the first arriving defenders after the clearance, Papali’i wrapped up Harbour fullback Shaun Stevenson and ripped the ball free, setting a platform for Auckland to strike near the opposition 22.
His decision making on defence ensures maximum output in the right areas of play as he lurks around the breakdown, picking his moments to strike and consistently sealing any gaps around the tackle area. An uncanny ability to stay on his feet – or get back to them quickly – means he often makes an impact on consecutive phases and can get through plenty of work across an 80 minute shift.
On the other side of the ball, both Coventry and Ieremia identified Papali’i’s improvement with ball in hand as a major factor in his development.
Against North Harbour Papali’i was involved heavily as a link man, running an excellent support line to set up captain TJ Faiane’s first try, and was able to free up the ball on several occasions to put teammates into space.
While his opportunities as a runner have been limited, he still notches an impressive 13 metres per carry and has made a line break on 28% of his runs. 42% of his carries have ended with an offload as Papali’i strives to keep the ball alive and create opportunities.
The diverse skillset possessed by the youngster has created opportunity after opportunity, and now his greatest one yet has reared its head with his inclusion in the All Blacks squad.
Helped in part by the unavailability of Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell, Papali’i will seize this opportunity with the same tenacity and energy he displays on the pitch week in and week out. If he defends the jersey anything close to how he defends for Auckland, he’ll find himself in good stead.
It remains to be seen just how much Papali’i will feature during the November internationals, but you can bet it won’t be the last time he wears black. That won’t be for a long time.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
This just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
16 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
16 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
16 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
16 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
16 Go to comments