Hansen sets Fifita straight
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has been quick to clear up Vaea Fifita’s confusion.
The Hurricanes forward expressed puzzlement yesterday at how he’d been omitted from New Zealand’s Rugby Championship squad with Jackson Hemopo effectively chosen in his place.
Fifita could accept the decision, but was left a bit bewildered by the rationale.
Hansen said he couldn’t pick Fifita as a blindside flanker because of the Hurricanes’ insistence on playing him at lock this year, but picked Hemopo, who plays lock for his Super Rugby franchise too.
Fifita spoke to Hansen and was satisfied with his explanation, right up until he saw the coach speak on television.
‘‘He told me that. But when I saw he got interviewed and he said he signed Hemopo to six, not lock, I kind of feel like he’s not telling me the truth. But that’s life,’’ Fifita said yesterday morning.
Stuff understands Hansen has since called the 26-year-old from Sydney, where the All Blacks are preparing for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash with Australia. He could see the Tongaborn player was still unsure about things and wanted to further clarify why Hemopo was in the squad and what he wants from Fifita in the coming weeks.
The All Blacks see Fifita as a blindside flanker and want him to spend as many minutes there as possible. He’ll get those with Wellington in the national provincial competition, but was unlikely to as an All Black given Liam Squire and Shannon Frizell’s presence in the squad.
Hemopo is not destined to play a huge amount of Rugby Championship football either, but he will be introduced to the All Blacks’ culture and protocols just as Fifita has in the last 18 months.
If Fifita gets the football he’s after for the Lions, a place on the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour beckons, following a season in which he was again confined to the Hurricanes’ second row.
‘‘They [the Hurricanes] asked me and I told them I don’t enjoy playing lock. I prefer six, but I know I can’t play six because Brad [Shields] is there. At the same time I didn’t mind because I just wanted to play.’’
With Shields now with English club Wasps, the Hurricanes’ No 6 jumper is up for grabs. However, with lock Michael Fatialofa also among the established Hurricanes to move on this year, Fifita said he’s not sure if he’ll get the shift he craves.
‘‘I like six because I can use my athleticism to do what I can do on the outside, rather than just stay tight and do the hard work like running into a brick wall and getting your body tired. Then you can’t do anything,’’ said Fifita.
All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster was asked to clarify Fifita’s situation at his media conference in Sydney yesterday.
‘‘It’s understandable that players are disappointed and probably don’t hear things at certain times,’’ said Foster.
‘‘We love Vaea. He went through a mixed Super season mainly playing at lock, and we just felt he should spend a bit more time at 6 getting to know that role well. Our intention is he’s far from gone from this squad, and we would love to see him come back in pretty soon.’’
Fifita caught the eye in his All Blacks appearances last year but, for a variety of reasons, hasn’t kicked on this season. Two bouts of concussion, a shoulder injury and what’s understood to have been a heavy workload during his time in camp with the All Blacks, added to the frustration of having to plug away at lock.
By the end of the Hurricanes’
‘‘I kind of feel like he’s not telling me the truth. But that’s life.’’ Vaea Fifita on Steve Hansen
season, he wasn’t in the shape needed to break the starting combination of Fatialofa and Sam Lousi.
‘‘This has probably been the hardest year for me playing Super, because I had a few injuries and then I come back and only play for 30 minutes off the bench or 25. You’re still unfit because you’re coming back from injury and you need to play 80 minutes every week to get fit and get up to the speed of the game.’’
He’s about to get his wish with Wellington, whose provincial campaign starts against Otago on Sunday, after coach Chris Gibbes promised him a regular 80 minutes in the 6 jersey.
‘‘I’m 100 per cent and I can’t wait,’’ Fifita said.