1
'You realised this guy's work rate is phenomenal but he is just in the wrong place'
Pat Lam has hailed the February transformation of his Fijian winger Siva Naulago who went from generally being in the wrong places on the pitch in the Bristol defeat to Sale to lighting up the Brentford Community Stadium last Sunday with a two-try burst that included a ‘worldie’ of a score that was voted Gallagher Premiership try of the weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
It can be quite a difficult task for rugby league talents at a professional level to seamlessly cross over into union and the 29-year-old Naulago has encountered his own teething issues after joining Bristol following two years in Super League in England with Hull.
He went straight from the end of the 2020 Super League season into the 2020/21 Premiership campaign without having the benefit of a pre-season to help him get up to speed with switching back to a code he had previously played at an amateur level before heading into the paid ranks of rugby league.
However, Lam has spoken of his admiration for Naulago to learn his new trade while on temporary release from active service as a soldier in the British army. The Bristol boss was especially thrilled with the fireworks produced last weekend in London, particularly the interplay that Naulago fashioned with Charles Piutau to create a memorable first-half score.
“We have been really pleased,” enthused Lam about the rugby league recruit who made his Bristol debut in the December Champions Cup loss to Clermont before making his bow in the Premiership on Boxing Day. “He is a British soldier and when I met with him he was impressive.
It had to be, didn’t it? ?
‘An absolute worldie’ from @r_naulago is @thefamousgrouse #GallagherPrem Try of the Week! ?
How good was this guy last week? ?https://t.co/hnJ2K2i9Az
— Bristol Bears ? (@BristolBears) February 24, 2021
“I’m not talking about the rugby player, off the field, with him and his wife, he was keen to come to rugby, keen to come to us but we were impressed, he has been in the front line as well and you could just see the discipline, naturally from a serviceman, and then you have got to also remember through Covid that Super Rugby went on longer so he hasn’t had a pre-season.
“He went on the whole Super League season and then came off that. The next week after he finished his last game for Hull he trained with us and he has shown glimpses. Then after the Sale game, we realised actually there is still a bit of work that he needs to do.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Myself and Conor McPhillips, we went right through his game on the big screen and just focused on where he was going defensively and positionally. You realised this guy’s work rate is phenomenal but he is just in the wrong place. We were able to go through it, work it for him, ask him the questions, and you could just see him go, ‘Ah, okay, wow, I can see it, I can do this’.
“We were able to guide him through it and then we put him out on the weekend and honestly, talk about coachable, he did everything. The improvement was phenomenal because of that process, more the fact that we asked the questions and he was extremely coachable and picked it up fast.
“Like today [Wednesday] is a down day and I saw him down in the gym doing some extra work on his rehab, prehab. When he broke out he had a phenomenal time on the intercept and was cruising, there were some quick guys that were chasing him and he was cruising, so he is a real asset for us and I am pleased to have him.”
Naulago will now make his eighth appearance for Bristol in Saturday’s Premiership game at home to Leicester and Lam is salivating about what his Fijian winger might next produce. “Everyone has the ability to learn. I know it is a stereotype, maybe a generalisation, but when you’re a serviceman it is all based on discipline.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It takes special people to be disciplined, to listen to the instructions, and certainly in the army it is vital, but the fact is that he loves the game, he loves the guys around here, he has become very popular and he just wants to do so well for himself, his mates and the Bears. He is hungry to get better which is a great asset.”
? @r_naulago's 1?9?2? metres on Sunday came from just 8? carries ?
That's an average of nearly 2?5? metres per carry ?
Get the best of the match stats from yesterday's action ?#LIRvBRI | #BristolBears
— Bristol Bears ? (@BristolBears) February 22, 2021
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