Ofa puts brain above brawn
He may have produced one of the tackles of the year in Brisbane last weekend, but don’t be fooled by appearances when it comes to powerhouse All Blacks prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
Behind the muscle, the hustle and those bone-shuddering hits that Bernard Foley felt so deeply at Suncorp lurks the cold, calculated mind of a player his All Blacks coach Steve Hansen refers to as ‘‘a student of the game’’.
‘‘He’s getting better and better,’’ says Hansen of a player who has become a key member of their bench unit.
‘‘Crono (scrum guru MIke Cron) has done a magnificent job with him, and he’s a real diligent student of the game himself, very much in the Kevvy Mealamu mould. His integrity is great, and he’s getting the rewards for that, and starting to feel like he belongs and believes in himself.’’
The 1.95m, 122kg collosus happily embraces Hansen’s tag when he stops for a chat at the Auckland airport hotel shortly before departing for the November tour north.
‘‘There’s a quote I saw early in my career. Good players play the game and great players know the game. I love that. I do a lot of analysis and look at the opposition and myself and how I can get better. I’m always trying to get a step ahead,’’ says the quietly spoken Tonga-born Auckland prop.
He is not so happy to embrace his role as an enforcer, even if his body-splaying tackle on Foley late in last week’s 23-18 defeat in Brisbane has become somewhat of a YouTube sensation.
‘‘He was just running down my channel and it was something I had to do at the time. I don’t go out there to hurt anyone. One of the things I love about the game is being physical, and using my strength. But it’s not about hurting others.’’
Tu’ungafasi, though, is relishing his elevated status in the All Blacks, after season-ending injuries to senior props Owen Franks and Joe Moody.
He has stepped up from a role as fifth squad prop covering both sides to the specialist backup tighthead role.
‘‘My task at the moment is to keep challenging the guys ahead of me, as well as continue to learn. I know the time will come and when it does I’ve got to make sure I’m ready and prepared. It is my next step,’’ he says.
And he is well aware that the core role of scrummaging remains his most important focus. His mobility, ball-carrying, workrate and defence are his chief attributes. The setpiece aspect is the work in progress.
‘‘I think I’m moving in the right direction,’’ he says. ‘‘There is still a lot to learn, and a lot to work on. Having Crono here as coach, it’s going faster than I thought it would.
‘‘It’s always going to be the biggest focus for me. Set piece will always be at the top of my priorities to work on, and you never stop learning.’’ the line, and finished the match with a staggering 143 metres on 17 carries.
But he called vice-captain and centre Tim Bateman’s try, scored as the halftime hooter rang out into the fresh Christchurch night, the key moment of the game.
He’s probably right. It put Canterbury 19-13 up at halftime, before they came out in the second half with the wind behind them and killed off the Makos.
Defending their title was all they talked about after coughing up the Ranfurly Shield to Taranaki earlier in the month.
‘‘The Ranfurly Shield is a huge loss and a big blow in our season, but we’ve won the comp. I’ll take this over the Shield any day,’’ Mo’unga said.