World Cup bolter?
phases that led to TJ Faiane’s break and Melani Nanai’s try. After watching all that, Hemopo cannot have expected what was still to come.
The Blues blindside put Nanai away when Robinson straightened, drew Waisake Naholo in for a tackle that got the wing sin-binned, and handed the ball round the side. It was not reactive. Robinson sensed Nanai looping round and set up the play accordingly.
Maybe there is a bit of rugby intelligence in the genes. His old man, Alistair, represented New Zealand on the 1983 tour of England and Scotland. Robinson junior is one of the more vocal of the Blues players. He seems to have been given a fair bit of responsibility in organising the defence. Either that or he’s just noisy.
He’s one of those players who seems hard to shut up on the field. When Patrick Tuipolutu scored the decisive try, Robinson had carried just before and then cleaned out at a ruck to provide the quick ball. Already he looks one of the best in New Zealand at that particular skill. He cleans out with a ferocity, determination and accuracy that must make his halfback gurgle with delight.
Robinson says, ‘‘The key for me is to keep going for 80 minutes, high work rate. The Blues have players who can bust open the defence so my work rate will add to that.’’
At the end, as the Highlanders tried to salvage a draw, Robinson was still coming. He tackled Aaron Smith who was trying to dart away following the kick-off. He grabbed Ray Niuia who had already been missed by a couple of other Blues. He smashed back Luke Whitelock in a double tackle. It’s just the sort of gnarly stuff in the clinch that the Blues have missed in recent years.
Robinson’s engine also allows the Blues to replace their seven. That means both Blake Gibson and Dalton Papalii going at the opposition. Maybe Robinson is not the purely ‘‘physical beast’’ that Hansen likes, but he would help the All Blacks win a fair bit more of the quick ball that their runners thrive on.
There’s also much joy to be had from speculating about ‘‘bolters’’ with Tokyo not too far ahead. It’s the definition of the dream. It’s Michael Jones and Jonah Lomu and Nehe MilnerSkudder and all those others who came surging through in the year of the Rugby World Cup.
And if Robinson has any doubt that the impossible is possible, he can ask his team-mate Karl Tu’inukuafe, a bloke whom Hansen had never heard of at the start of 2018. One minute Tu’inukuafe was an overweight bouncer with painful legs, a heart attack waiting to happen. Six months later Tu’inukuafe was an All Black.
‘‘Pretty buzzy,’’ said Tu’inukuafe.
Hansen said, ‘‘For anyone that’s out there who has still got aspirations to be an All Black...it’s a clear message you can still make it if you’ve still got that dream, desire and work ethic.’’
2, 4, 6, 8, it’s never too late. Robinson dreams on. Who knows, one day he may be a bolt from the Blues.