'We've got to be careful': Former All Black's warning for Quinn Tupaea
All Blacks midfielder Quinn Tupaea was a shock selection on the left wing for the Chiefs in last Friday’s victory over the Waratahs. With so many injured outside backs in the squad, however, it was a case of ‘needs must’ according to the head coach.
“He’s a midfielder; he’s an All Blacks 12,” Clayton McMillan said after the match. “So we want to get him back in there, we just didn’t have the cattle this week.
“We’ve got four, five of our outside backs either invalided or just couldn’t make the trip. We’ll just check out the bodies tonight and tomorrow and we’ll see where we land. We’ve only got a squad of 27 here so it doesn’t leave us much breathing space.”
Outside backs Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Kaleb Trask and Josh Ioane were all on the injury list heading into the game. While Alex Nankivell had featured on both wings earlier in the season, McMillan opted to use Nankivell at outside centre with Rameka Poihipi given the No 12 jersey for the match, forcing Tupaea onto the left wing.
With Poihipi and Tupaea both specialist second five-eighths, shifting Tupaea to the wing likely generated the least disruption for the side and meant only one player had to feature out of position.
Out of position or not, however, Tupaea had a storming match in the No 11 jersey, racking up two tries and 94 metres with the ball in hand. Come the end of the game, Tupaea was named player of the match.
Despite his impressive performance on the left wing, however, former All Black James Parsons has quelled any suggestions that the 22-year-old should be looking to clock up minutes in that role in order to increase his value to national selectors.
While the All Blacks selected a number of squad members last year who were capable of playing in more than one position, that rarely eventuated, with players instead generally spending the entirety of the campaign specialising in one role. In fact, Luke Jacobson, Ardie Savea, Rieko Ioane and Damian McKenzie were the only players to feature across multiple positions (excluding locks, flankers and wingers who were used in both jerseys within their positions).
“I think we’ve got to be careful,” Parsons said on the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod. “We’ve seen it over the last sort of end-of-year tour. [The All Blacks selected] specialist guys [to] focus on that one position.
“They have the ability [to cover multiple positions] – like we’ve seen with Nankivell and now Quinn Tupaea – but I think he just needs to knuckle down early in his international career, just focus on that 12, potentially 13 role, do that really well.”
“Look, if there’s a drastic number of injuries and he has to slip in there then yes, but I don’t think it’ll be coming into the selectors’ minds to put him on the wing. As we’ve seen, it’s pretty hard to pick the squad based on the back three at the moment so I don’t know if he’s quite made the grade for that combo just yet.”
Tupaea is still only in his third season with the Chiefs (somewhat ironically, he was named as an outside back in 2020 despite not playing any matches on the wing) and despite taking the step up to test rugby last season, he very much remains a work in development.
Over on the Chiefs’ other wing on Friday night, Jonah Lowe was also in scintillating form, touching down for four tries. Parsons’ co-panellist on the show, Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall, said that while that kind of impact is always going to attract some attention from the national selectors, Lowe will need to string together some consistent performances before he can upset the apple cart.
“There’s just so much competition in the winger ranks at the moment,” he said. “Jonah Lowe’s been in and around that New Zealand Maori environment as well. He’s played well there and he’s played for Hawke’s Bay in their resurgence, being able to win championships and win games in that competition. But I think it’s just being able to play more consistently and being able to get more games under his belt.
“You look at the likes of Leicester Fainga’anuku … This is is his second year where he’s been playing those kinds of performances like [Lowe] has had in the weekend. But he’s still young. I can imagine there’s still things that he wants to work on in his game but any time you can score four tries, it gets the selectors looking.”
“I think Jonah has actually been playing really well in terms of attack and D,” added Parsons, “but I suppose the one area we know [you are tested] at international level would be that aerial game and being able to win those aerial battles, whether it be from a contestable from the opposition or you chasing a contestable. If we can see more of that in his game then I think he will become a real option.”
Lowe, despite being arguably the Chiefs’ top winger over the past two seasons, has struggled with injuries, limiting him to eight appearances in 2021 and just five to date this season. While he’ll likely be retained on the wing in the Chiefs’ upcoming match with the Reds, Tupaea will likely find himself back in the midfield unless the team’s other outside backs remain crook.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn 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 getting 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.
6 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.
8 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
6 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.
56 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.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 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 comments