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'We were trying to build the best combo in the country': Highlanders star Aaron Smith's devastation over Folau Fakatava injury
Highlanders co-captain Aaron Smith has revealed he is “brutally disappointed” for rising Highlanders star Folau Fakatava following his season-ending knee injury.
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Fakatava limped from the field during his side’s shock 33-12 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch a fortnight ago with an injury that was later revealed to be a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The 21-year-old has subsequently been ruled out of action for between nine-to-12 months in what has been a bitter blow for the Highlanders and All Blacks.
Fakatava, a dynamic ball-carrier who is uncompromising defensively, is widely-regarded as Smith’s long-term successor for both teams and had been a standout for the Highlanders in the lead-up to his season-ending injury.
Regardless of whether he started or came off the bench, Fakatava worked well in tandem with Smith, who is renowned for his world-class distribution and unparalleled energy, to deliver a one-two punch of contrasting styles in their first five matches of the season.
Speaking to Sky Sport following the Highlanders’ 35-29 victory over the Blues in Dunedin on Friday, Smith said he and Fakatava were trying to make their combination the best in New Zealand, which is why he was “really gutted” for the promising youngster.
“To be honest, I’m brutally disappointed that Folau got hurt,” Smith said when asked what the motivation has been behind his impressive personal performances this season after masterminding his side’s win against the Blues.
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“I thought our little combo we were building was great. I thought we were kinda trying to build the best combo in the country as two No 9s, whoever started or would finish the game.
“Really gutted for Folau, and I just love this team. It’s not over. We’ve got a week off. We need to refresh and then we’ve got to go up to the Hurricanes.”
Fakatava’s injury blow is even more cruel given that his lengthy spell on the sideline is set to make him ineligible to represent the All Blacks until 2023 under World Rugby’s new residency laws.
The game’s global governing body is extending the residency period required to make foreign players eligible for their adopted nation from three years to five years, an law alteration which will come into effect on December 31, 2021.
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Although Fakatava moved from Tonga to New Zealand on a rugby scholarship in 2016, World Rugby’s guidelines state that the residency period doesn’t begin until the player’s 18th birthday.
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has confirmed the side are in talks to bring All Blacks star TJ Perenara to the NRL club to help solve their injury crisis. #NRL #SydneyRoosters #AllBlacks https://t.co/NarOCvL528
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 16, 2021
Fakatava’s 18th birthday fell on December 16, 2017, meaning, under World Rugby’s current three-year residency law, he has been eligible to play for the All Blacks since last December.
However, given the length of his injury, Fakatava won’t be able to play for the New Zealand national side before World Rugby extends its residency requirements to five years at the end of this year.
That means Fakatava won’t be eligible to play for the All Blacks until December 2022, by which point the national team’s next test match would likely be scheduled for July 2023 – just two months out from that year’s World Cup in France.
Fakatava’s agent, Kent Hale, confirmed his client’s situation to Stuff earlier this week, but was hopeful an appeal from New Zealand Rugby could make the halfback exempt from the residency extension given he has lived in the country since 2016.
“He’s got an injury and is booked into surgery. I’m sure there might be a bit that goes on behind the scenes with NZ Rugby, the Highlanders and potentially the All Blacks, but his focus is the injury,” Hale told Stuff.
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“He’s got a bit of work to do prior to the operation to gibe him self the best possible chance to get back out onto the field.
“The last thing we want to be doing is ramming that [eligibility discussion] down his throat when the injury is still so fresh.”
The Highlanders, meanwhile, have moved into third place on the Super Rugby Aotearoa standings following their season-reviving win over the Blues.
With 14 points to their name, the Dunedin-based franchise sit just one point behind the second-placed Blues, who currently occupy one of the two qualifying spots for a ticket in the competition’s final on May 8.
However, the Blues have a game in hand over their southern rivals, as do the fourth-placed Chiefs, who sit two points behind the Highlanders ahead of their crunch match with the league-leading Crusaders in Hamilton on Saturday.
The Highlanders will have a bye next week before travelling to Wellington to face off against the Hurricanes in their final regular season match of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
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Musk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
2 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real speech. They claim free speech. The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
67 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
2 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
28 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
67 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
28 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
67 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to comments