STEELERS REBORN
The Counties Manukau Steelers are good enough to make the semifinals, but they will need to be mentally tougher under pressure, writes Campbell Burnes.
The steelers absorbed plenty of lessons from a pockmarked 2020 season. They learned that, even if you have the best goalkicker in the comp (Jason Robertson), you cannot button off late in games, you must command your ball at set-piece and you cannot have a positive win-loss ledger if you are leaking 33 points per game.
second year coach Tai Lavea knows all that and he and the union underwent a thorough review to identify what can change. Plenty, as it turns out, including more than half of the 36 players who took the field in 2020. Some have retired, are crocked or have flown the coop, but several have not been re-signed, despite playing club footy in the province.
Lavea is now closer to the squad he wants, and he will again be assisted by Dean Cummins, new forwards coach richie Harris, who coached northland in 2015-16, and former rwc-winning medallist and steelers bookend Pauliasi Manu, who will look after the scrums.
Also in the steelers’ favour is that they had a decent pre-season last month, unlike the disaster that was August 2020, when half the province was in level 3 lockdown and the other half in level 2. The centralised high performance centre at the stadium in Pukekohe makes life easier too.
“even though the results didn’t go our way, we were in games for long periods. we’ve made some tweaks in our team in certain areas and hopefully that will put us in good stead,” says Lavea.
“we don’t have the luxury of a lot of guys in super rugby. we had to be selective around the top band of players we are looking for.”
The front-row was seen as a key area that was lacking punch and depth, so in comes the wallaby out of wesley sekope Kepu, the Manu samoa bulwark Kalolo Tuiloma, a former Steeler, and Tongan international Sila Puafisi, who had played in the province before he made his career in France. young sue Asomua will soak up the lessons, while ezekiel Lindenmuth will hold down the loosehead side. steelers stalwart Joe royal returns as hooker to partner Zuriel Togiatama, who performed well last season.
Manu, who was playing in Japan until very recently, reunites with his old Tamaki College mentor Harris, and that duo has plenty of wisdom to impart on the pack in that crucial set-piece area.
The locks will feature co-skipper Matiaha Martin, veteran Viliame rarasea, ray Tatafu, back from southland, and Alex Mcrobbie, who lacks only experience at this level.
while the steelers will see little of All blacks forwards nepo Laulala, Dalton Papali’i and Hoskins sotutu, they will see plenty of Samuel Slade, now a fully-fledged international with Manu samoa after a consistent 2020
season in which he turned out in three positions. Lavea sees slade as a six/lock and he could be a candidate for Moana Pasifika.
Opensider Alamanda Motuga seized his chance for the Steelers last season, scoring five tries and proving a nuisance over the ball. Like half a dozen steelers, he was ensconced in international rugby last month, helping Manu samoa qualify for the rugby world Cup 2023. no 8 Viliami Taulani was like a sponge with Kieran read in 2020, and now he is a super rugby and Tongan rep. All Steelers fans want to see the full flowering of this prodigious talent. Completing the loose forward picture is the old warrior nili Latu. “He’s 39 but plays like he’s 29,” quips Lavea. Latu was in Japan, but the former Ikale Tahi skipper, who has plied his trade all around the globe and left bruises on many wouldbe attackers, is coming home to suit up at no 8, no 6 or no 20.
There is a choice of two Hurricanes super rugby halfbacks, Jonathan Taumateine and Cam roigard, both of whom are slightly different in their approach but with a heap of upside.
At first five, Robertson is taking up a contract in France after his MLR duties and baden Kerr is not re-signed, so co-captain
Orbyn Leger will move in one to run the cutter. At this level, he could be useful as he passes well. He just needs to work on his kickoffs, which were an issue at the Hurricanes when he wore the no 10 jersey.
The midfield options are Tanielu Tele’a, another Aucklander who has followed his old First XV coach down the motorway, Amanaki savieti and the ‘old koro’ Asaeli Tikoirotuma, who did the business for north Harbour in the last two seasons. He is still strong over the ball and can still play, even if he’s not as pacey as in his Chiefs days.
It’s all change in the back three, which will be bolstered by etene Nanai-seturo, likely on the flanks once he is done with MIQ after the Olympics. Jared Page, after useful service at north Harbour, returns to his roots and will likely be fullback or wing, while the mercurial Lu Laulala, who can light up any stadium on his best day, is another option at the back.
so how will Lavea approach the season as a whole, other than wanting to win each game? Does he target all the Championship games for the bulk of the points?
“It’s a funny one. I don’t want to sell ourselves short and think ‘Just go hard against the Championship teams.’ Our clear goal is that we want to win the Championship. but there is a process to go about that,” he says.
“This is my fourth year coaching in the NPC. I understand the two divisions but every game is hard. you cannot button off even 2 percent or you can lose to anyone.”
Maybe the sun on their backs in the clutch of sunday afternoon games will help. That, and a rock-solid scrum…
‘(Nili) Latu was in Japan, but the former Ikale Tahi skipper … is coming home to suit up at No 8, No 6 or No 20.’