San Fransisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula has provided some of the most in-depth insight into his impression of Jarryd Hayne since the former NRL star signed a contract with the NFL franchise.
Tomsula spoke highly of Hayne, and in particular how excited he was by having someone on his roster who was ‘the guy’ in another code.
“The other thing that gets me too, that excites me, he is ‘the guy’ in Australia. Lawrence (Okoye) was ‘the guy’ in England. You were all huddled around a table to talk to them.
“They were the best at what they were doing and in both situations they walk away from that to start something new, to start at the bottom. That hits me. That’s something different about who you are and your make up.
“There’s a lot of courage involved right there – or you’re flat nuts. Either way, that could work for us, right?
Jarryd Hayne training with his new teammates in San Fransisco.
“He’s playing a position that’s not like anything else he’s done. Everything is completely brand new. That’s a hard transition.
“When you get to a guy playing rugby and his skillset is as a running back – that’s where we’ll start him, I’m not going to tell you that’s where he’ll end – you’ve got a guy who’s used to being down field catching a ball with people running at him.
“You’ve got a guy who’s used to making tackles in open spaces. You’ve got a guy who’s used to catching the ball, carrying the ball, being in open space and avoiding. Obviously with the explosive qualities that he has, you can’t help but be excited.”
Hayne will continue to train with the 49ers over the coming weeks in an attempt to earn himself a contract for the upcoming NFL season.
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