Bench player makes freakish impact
Russell Packer says he’s grateful he doesn’t have to stop Kiwi teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona in his tracks.
‘‘I’ll tell you one thing, I’m glad I’m not on the other team, tackling him,’’ Packer said after the Kiwis’
74-6 Rugby League World Cup romp over Scotland in Christchurch on Saturday.
Like most among the
12,130-strong crowd, Packer was impressed with Asofa-Solomona’s telling impact off the Kiwis’ bench.
‘‘Big Nelson, he’s just a freak; he’s got size, speed and power. He’s had a great year in the NRL [winning a premiership with the Melbourne Storm] and he’s brought that form with him into the Kiwis.’’
Asofa-Solomona, 21, who hails from Wellington, is 2.01m tall and 125kg.
‘‘You forget how young he is because he’s so massive,’’ Packer said. ‘‘The world’s his oyster. He’s getting held accountable in this environment and I’m sure he’s going to get better, as we all will as the team progresses.’’
Asofa-Solomona has the size, strength and finesse the Kiwis pack will need next Saturday against a Tongan unit boasting former Kiwi Jason Taumalolo and ex-Australia enforcer Andrew Fifita.
The big man also showed against the Scots he has soft hands with a deft pass or two.
His international emergence the Scotland game was just his second test after making his debut against Samoa the previous week has highlighted the developing depth in the Kiwis pack despite the loss of Taumalolo to Tonga and the bans issued to ex-captain Jesse Bromwich and second rower Kevin Proctor.
Packer, who led the forwards, statistically-speaking, against the Scots, said the pack had a collective goal ‘‘to drive each other to get better and see where that kind of mentality takes us’’.
The 28-year-old celebrated his first test try on Saturday after playing 51 minutes off the interchange bench. He led the pack in metres gained (173) and also pulled off 16 tackles.
Asofa-Solomona was equally impressive with 135m, 14 tackles, a line break and a try assist in 44 minutes’ work.
Toss in Manly prop Martin Taupau (153m, 16 tackles, a try assist), some outrageous offloads and jinking step) and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (112m and 12 tackles in 28 minutes on the park) and the Kiwis forwards created plenty of go-forward and a steady supply of balls for their try-hungry backs to exploit.
Packer has had his challenges including a jail term for a serious
assault in 2013 - but there is much to admire about the way he has seized his second chance at NRL and test level.
The Kiwis have plenty of front row options and Packer believes it is spurring all the props on.
‘‘I guess in any job, it’s good to have competition, it keeps you on your toes and makes you perform. It’s a brotherhood in the Kiwis, but we are all pushing each other to be better.’’
The official line from the Kiwis
camp geared around wanting to celebrate the Scottish performance, but captain Adam Blair admitted Tonga - brimming with NRL talent - would be a sterner test ‘‘without a doubt’’.
Kiwis coach David Kidwell
refused to be drawn on whether he would field his top XIII against Tonga or mix and match his selections again before the playoffs.
He said he had always planned to give everyone a run in the first
two rounds against Samoa and Scotland. ‘‘I know a few people looked at me a bit weird, but I’ve got a very clear vision of how we are going to get where want to get to. Some of those players who haven’t played for a long time
really put their hand up.’’
Kidwell said he had some ‘‘coaching headaches’’ with tough selection choices looming ahead of the Tonga game, but he had ‘‘a very well thought-out plan’’ for each phase of the tournament.