Laumape keeping tight-lipped
Ngani Laumape’s professional development isn’t confined to a kicking and passing game or making good reads on defence.
No, the blockbusting Hurricanes second five-eighth is starting to blossom on the interview front as well.
For those who haven’t been following, Laumape and the Hurricanes will meet the Crusaders in a Super Rugby semifinal in Christchurch on Saturday. As ever, the respective forward packs will determine the outcome, but there will be other important, more personal, battles right across the park.
Particularly in midfield where Laumape will confront the Crusaders’ pair of Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue.
Like Laumape, Goodhue and Crotty are All Blacks. And they, along with Sonny Bill Williams and Anton Lienert-Brown, form what Laumape has previously called the tightest mini-group in the team.
There’s nothing about each other, and their respective games, that the quintet don’t know. The rationale being that the greater their understanding of one another, the more they can help their midfield mate to succeed on test Saturdays.
It’s a friendly rivalry, but a rivalry all the same. And one that Laumape expertly sidestepped yesterday.
‘‘Playing rugby, you want to go against the best. But, like I said, I’m looking to perform well for my team and not really getting into the individual battles,’’ Laumape said.
No matter how the question was couched, the much the same.
‘‘They are world-class players and we’ve got a big challenge ahead and they’re playing really well this year,’’ said Laumape of the duo.
It was a masterclass in playing a situation down and not giving the opposition any potential ammunition; exemplifying the scale of the 25-year-old’s evolution since joining the Hurricanes in 2016.
Much has been made, and rightly so, of Laumape’s ballrunning prowess. It’s not just the ferocity of his carries, but the timing and angle that Laumape runs which makes him so effective.
But he can also hit in defence, answer was as Crotty and Goodhue will know.
Laumape says putting on one good shot is no good, if you’ve missed the five tackles before that. The key to sound defence is being smart and prepared and communicating well.
‘‘Where you get your confidence from is talking with your team-mates and letting them know what you’re doing. You can’t assume that everyone’s going to be on the same page.’’
And, if the Hurricanes are all in agreement about one thing this week, it’s that May’s 24-13 loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch won’t be the main topic of conversation.
‘‘It’s forgotten. You can’t worry about the past,’’ Laumape said.