Lessons to be learned in Manu’s cross-code switch

Ian Foster and Steve Hansen need not scour the depths of their playbooks for lessons to guide Joseph Manu’s imminent cross-code transition from the NRL to rugby.

Much of the what-not-to-do blueprint can be sourced from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s two-year stint in union before he reverted to the Warriors this season.

The parallels between TuivasaSheck and Manu are clear.

Both played fullback for the Roosters and Kiwis. Both signed twoyear deals with their union clubs — Tuivasa-Sheck with the Blues, Manu with Toyota in Japan. Both made the switch at a similar stage, too. TuivasaSheck was 28, Manu is 27.

The overriding lesson is TuivasaSheck’s time in union was not helped by being thrust straight into the midfield.

On the face of it, the reasoning was sound enough. At the elite level, there was a belief Tuivasa-Sheck did not possess the pace to command a place on the wing.

And while New Zealand rugby generally produces an endless supply of compelling finishers, depth in the midfield, particularly at second fiveeighth, was problematic before Jordie Barrett’s move there.

Asking Tuivasa-Sheck, one of the best steppers in the NRL, someone who thrives in space from broken play and coming off the back fence, to transition from the freedom of a league fullback to the congested union midfield never suited his instinctive strengths, though.

That decision was made with the All Blacks’ best interests in mind — not Tuivasa-Sheck’s.

Sure, Tuivasa-Sheck enjoyed fleeting moments for the Blues from second-five yet, throughout his time in union, the message was loud and clear that patience was needed.

By the mid-point of his second Super Rugby season, though, after announcing he was returning to the Warriors, the Blues lost patience and were no longer interested in TuivasaSheck’s development. From then on, he wasn’t required even on the Blues bench.

Yet in his final NPC campaign with Auckland, when he played fullback, albeit at a lower level, Tuivasa-Sheck showcased his potent attacking threats in space to offer a glimpse of what might have been had he not been confined to the midfield.

Tuivasa-Sheck’s league-to-union transition should have started on the wing. That’s where Manu should begin his initial switch, too.

Wing is the safest, easiest place to adjust to the nuances of the breakdown, positional and defensive play.

Tuivasa-Sheck, during his Ota¯huhu ¯ College days, had a background in union, yet his struggles to grasp the allencompassing midfield duties underline the positional challenges.

Manu could eventually move into the midfield. He’s shone at fullback, centre and standoff in league, and has all the physical attributes to find a home in the midfield.

Throwing him into 12 or 13 at Toyota from the start is not in his best interests, though. He will inevitably need time to find his feet in union.

While union and league share similarities in the contact department, their differences are also stark. Hence why no cross-code convert is ever an overnight success.

Take the fullback position. Compare the respective roles in league and union, and they are poles apart.

In a union context, asking Manu to slot into fullback would require him to instantly develop a long tactical kicking game.

In any cross-code switch, getting the position right is crucial to building confidence.

Benji Marshall’s ill-fated stint at the Blues is another example.

Marshall’s brief transition to union should have come exclusively at fullback. Expecting him to assume responsibility for directing a team in a new code from first-five set him up for failure. Some 212 minutes into a twoyear contract, Marshall returned to league a broken man.

Hansen has compared Manu to Sonny Bill Williams, arguably the best cross-code athlete of all time.

From a pure athletic, ball-in-onehand perspective, the association is fair, but many seem to forget Williams needed the best part of five years to feel comfortable and produce the form that cemented his presence as a genuine international second-five.

After featuring for Toulon, Canterbury and the Crusaders, only when he joined the Chiefs, and linked with Wayne Smith to claim successive Super Rugby titles, did Williams truly come of age in union.

This is why talk of Manu becoming an All Black is decidedly premature — not least because he would need to first sign for a New Zealand Super Rugby team to be eligible.

Influential Roosters chairman Nick Politis is just as likely to lure Manu back in two years.

Starting his transition in Japan is ideal, though. The level of rugby is a step down from New Zealand Super Rugby teams, and Manu’s sizeable frame will savour a natural competitive advantage over many of his opponents.

Out of the traditional oval-ball spotlight in New Zealand and Australia, Manu can make mistakes and progress without the constant pressure other cross-code athletes endure — all the while earning $1 million per season.

Money aside, if Manu is serious about carving a successful union career, Tuivasa-Sheck tells us his transition should start on the wing, while Williams’ experience points to tempering expectations.

The reality is Manu’s two-year contract will scratch the surface of his potential.

Liam Napier

Money aside, if Manu is serious about carving a successful union career, Tuivasa-Sheck tells us his transition should start on the wing.