Fifita to the fore at flanker
You suspect Steve Hansen would’ve enjoyed that more than John Plumtree.
The respective All Blacks and Hurricanes head coaches are slightly at odds about what they were after from forward Vaea Fifita.
Hansen wants Fifita frightening defenders and galloping down the tramlines, while Plumtree would prefer he was hitting rucks and claiming turnovers.
Fifita did plenty of the former yesterday, laying on two tries for Wellington and almost scoring another, with trademark surges down the left flank as the Lions beat Otago 34-16 at Westpac Stadium.
Freed from the tight work that comes with playing lock for the Hurricanes, Fifita flourished at blindside flanker for Wellington. Few players, particularly that size, boast his combination of speed, evasiveness and an ability to offload and all were in evidence against Otago.
No doubt there’s a lot more to No 6 play than just that but surely they can be taught.
What’s harder to coach are the many things Fifita does so well with ball in hand.
In leaving Fifita out of New Zealand’s Rugby Championship squad, Hansen hoped the 26-yearold would get the game time and freedom to show his skills at provincial level and make himself impossible to omit from the team’s end-of-year tour.
Yesterday’s showing was certainly a step in the right direction for Fifita, while Wellington coach Chris Gibbes was just happy to see the team win.
‘‘The account’s open and that was the main objective coming in. We knew it wasn’t going to be vintage but it’s good to get a start,’’ Gibbes said.
Almost an ideal one, where coaching staffs are concerned. The Lions sit atop the Mitre 10 Cup premiership table but with any number of things to work on ahead of Saturday’s clash with Canterbury in Christchurch.
‘‘Twenty five turnovers, 13 penalties – eight of them defensive – that sort of stuff hurts you. But the positive thing about that is a lot of them we can eliminate pretty quickly,’’ said Gibbs. The team’s lineout, included. ‘‘If you have 11 and lose six of them, that’s not great for any team. The boys have been back in [training] a week and we’ve just got to keep working hard on it.’’
Wing Wes Goosen scored two tries on the back of Fifita runs, as Wellington went out to an early 17-0 lead.
Two penalties from Otago first five-eighth Finn Strawbridge made it 17-6 at halftime, before he added a further three points six minutes later.
Goosen’s fellow wing Malo Tuitama went in next for Wellington, before replacement halfback Kurt Hammer finished a good Otago move to make it 27-16 with 17 minutes remaining.
A second converted Tuitama try, from a deft Jackson GardenBachop kick, completed the scoring for Wellington.