Rising No.8 to Face Drua
Waratahs coach plans Fijians downfall in tonight’s Super Round showdown
Langi Gleeson, who grew up in Fiji, admits a pre-season demotion at the Waratahs was a timely wake-up call and forced him to knuckle down to win back a spot in the NSW starting side.
Gleeson, whose return to the sky blue No.8 was one of three changes to the Waratahs’ run-on side to face the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua tonight, had every reason to believe he would be a marquee star for NSW in 2023.
Despite only debuting for the Waratahs last year - and starting in just one of his nine appearancesthe Manly back-rower continued an insanely steep rise by going on to dominate for Australia A in July, and then winning a spot on the Wallabies’ Spring Tour. Gleeson debuted for Australia against Scotland and even started at No.8 for Australia in their win over Wales, in front of 70,000 in Cardiff.
“It hasn’t really clicked for me, I am still the same person,” Gleeson said. “I feel more confident, just playing and training with boys at that level. It puts into perspective how good you can be.”
After returning to NSW training in January, however, Gleeson was picked in the Waratahs’ second team for trials, and then on the bench for round one against the Brumbies last week.
But in his trademark red headgear, Gleeson was a standout in the second-half, running with power and setting up Jake Gordon’s try with a bump-and-offload. The 21-year-old said the coaches’ early selections lit a motivational fire.
“It did, yeah - obviously I wanted to start this year and coming into the second team, it was the right thing to do by the coaches because I wasn’t really there yet, but I worked my way up from there, and tried to get better. Luckily they gave me a
start,” Gleeson said.
“Being a Wallaby definitely doesn’t (mean anything). I needed to get my workrate a bit higher, and coming in heavier than last season was a bit of a struggle, but I am getting used to the weight now, which is good.”
Selection
Gleeson’s return to No.8 sees Charlie Gamble relegated to a strong bench, with NSW coach Jason Gilmore admitting the round one loose trio lacked balance. Hugh Sinclair has also won promotion, replacing Taleni Seu, and Tom Lambert steps into Angus Bell’s No.1 jersey.
On the bench, Tolu Latu replaces Mahe Vailanu at reserve hooker and with Te Tera Faulker will covering loosehead, Sydney Uni tighthead prop Daniel Botha has been named for a potential debut. So too Randwick and Aussie sevens flyer Ben Dowling, whose versatility on a six-two bench saw him chosen ahead of Nemani Nadolo.
Threat
In what counts as an away game, the Waratahs have half-dodged a bullet by meeting the Drua in Melbourne in the Super Round at AAMI Park; where the climate is a far cry from the heat and humidity
of Suva.
But the threat of the Fijian offload game remains the same, and Waratahs defence coach Jason Gilmore said the combination of effective tackling and a smart kick-chase game would be the keys to victory. “You know how Fiji play, they play off scrappy ball really well. They’re at their best in unstructured situations,” Gilmore said.
“Field position is really important. You have to make sure you’re giving them the ball in the right areas.”
The experience of game managers Ben Donaldson and Tane Edmed, who both played for Australia A in
Fiji last year along with Gleeson, Lalakai Foketi, Hugh Sinclair and Mark Nawaqanitawase, will be valuable, said Gilmore, who coached Australia A.
“We worked hard for half an hour in those first halves, and scores were tight,” he said.
“But if you roll the sleeves up, in the last ten minutes you can get the fruits of your labour from the first 30. It’s not being too cute in the first five minutes, and ending up under the sticks because they have done a razzle-dazzle try. We have to roll the sleeves up.”