‘It was a real low point for me’
Back for a second stint as Blues skipper, the in-form Dalton Papalii promises Marc Hinton he’s ready to deliver a fired-up response in 2023 for a franchise looking to take the final step.
Dalton Papalii had a heck of a rugby year in 2022 as he deservedly played his way to the head of the queue as the best No 7 in the New Zealand game. But right now, when he thinks back to last year, all the reappointed Blues skipper feels is pain.
‘‘It’s still tough to talk about, man,’’ says the form openside flanker of New Zealand rugby after a tentative first step out with his franchise in 2023. The All Blacks were back, more or less en masse, at the tail end of the pre-season week, but Papalii was still nursing a minor calf strain that left him on light duties only.
But what really hurt was the memory of last year’s not-quitebut-nearly inaugural Super Rugby Pacific campaign where the Blues rattled off 15 consecutive victories, but then fell at the final hurdle, against the Crusaders at Eden Park.
‘‘I’ve got to admit, that was a real low point for me,’’ reflects Papalii.
‘‘We worked so hard and we just didn’t finish, didn’t execute.
‘‘We went on that good winning streak, but you can’t go 15-0, or 15-1, and not win a chip (championship).
‘‘You look back now and think, ‘it’s a good learning’. I like to think you’ve got to lose one to win one . . . that’s what I’m telling myself anyway.
‘‘It still hurts, but that’s a good thing for this group, having that edge, that fire still in the belly from last year. I think the boys are just going to explode this year.’’
It is fair to say that final, those 10 lineout steals from the Crusaders, and the effective shutdown of the Blues’ attack game still plays on loop in the Papalii mind.
‘‘The main thing is just executing in those key moments,’’ he says of lessons learned. ‘‘That’s what the
Crusaders did to us last year. They took away our lineout and we just weren’t getting any goforward. Learning how to adapt when something isn’t going our way will be key for us.’’
All that said, the second-year skip stops short of embracing a ‘‘championship or bust’’ mentality.
‘‘That’s the mindset you’ve got to have every year,’’ he adds. ‘‘Why have a year when you think you’re just building? You want to go out and win. Last year we came close, but we blew it. This year we’ve got to have the same mindset but execute in those moments when we need to.’’
Coach Leon MacDonald had no hesitation in reappointing his dynamic loose forward to the captaincy role, even with veteran lock, and former captain, Patrick Tuipulotu back in the fold after his sabbatical in Japan.
‘‘He took what he was doing with the Blues last year and was able to take it to that next level,’’ said MacDonald of his No 7’s standout season. ‘‘He was behind the All Blacks captain, so it’s easy to step back a little bit and let the skipper run the show. So for him to stand up and grab it like he has, it’s been awesome.
‘‘It’s going to be another big year for Dalton as captain of the Blues, but he’ll be wanting to play good rugby as well.’’
Papalii shrugs off any additional pressure or responsibility with the role, says he thrived on the experience last year and points to the group of Beauden Barrett, Tuipulotu, Tom Robinson, Kurt Eklund and Rieko Ioane as vital in their leadership support.
He’s especially rapt to have ‘‘good mate’’ Tuipulotu back to add not just his experience but his presence in the second row.
‘‘He’s someone who has helped me a lot in my career. It’s massive [to have him back], and I’ve already had a good conversation with him about how good it’s been. He’s enjoying it, he’s the big 30 now and I need to look after him. I’ve got his back.
‘‘It’s awesome seeing all the young boys still turning heads with a man of that calibre coming back into the environment and him sharing his experience will be massive for all of us.’’
It’s a big year for Papalii on multiple fronts, with a World Cup spot to secure and a black No 7 jersey to retain. Predictably, he’s keen to
‘We worked so hard and we just didn’t finish, didn’t execute. We went on that good winning streak, but you can’t go 15-0, or 15-1, and not win a championship.’ DALTON PAPALII
compartmentalise that challenge.
‘‘I know everyone says it’s in the back of the mind, but for me that can wait,’’ he says. ‘‘Right now I’m in the moment. I’ve got to get this week sorted, my little niggle sorted and today it’s about getting better with the boys. My mindset has always been not thinking too far ahead and not stressing about what’s coming.’’
As for his own stellar form in the black jersey in ’22, Papalii attributes that to a simple factor.
‘‘I just enjoyed it more. Sometimes in the professional environment you forget to enjoy the journey.
‘‘Having those meetings with the boys and establishing the connections, it felt like I enjoyed the process a bit more and I felt freer when I played.’’
The Blues open their preseason against the Hurricanes at the Waitemata club on February 11.