“He reminds me,” Kurtley Beale told writers before the Waratahs played the Crusaders in their opening match of the 2020 Super Rugby season, “a bit of Izzy”.
The ‘he’ was Mark Nawaqanitawase, the lanky youngster selected to play on the wing for the Waratahs.
Izzy, of course, is Israel Folau, as controversial off the field as he was brilliant on it.
Being compared with Folau for his on-the-field exploits is placing a high burden on any youngster.
After all, Folau was the most prolific try-scorer in Super Rugby history with 60 tries in 90 matches.
This incredible record was achieved despite the fact that for a majority of his matches for the Waratahs he was not played as a winger, far and away his best position.
The outstanding aspects of Folau’s play were his leaping for high balls, his ability to hit the ground running after a catch, his incredible try-scoring rate, and his ability to remain calm in tight situations.
These were the tests that Nawaqanitawase had to pass in his debut Super Rugby match to validate Beale’s big call.
It is a pleasure to report that the youngster passed these tests, although his high-ball acrobatics were curtailed by some poor kicking from the Waratahs backs.
From the early moments of the match, it was clear that the youngster was in his element.
He made most of his tackles, fluffed a kick, and was lethal when given the sniff of an opportunity. He scored two tries in three minutes in the second half to reduce the Crusaders’ lead to only six points when it looked like we were going to watch a Waratahs thrashing.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
His first try required a spectacular leap through a tackle and a one-handed plant.
His second try, only minutes later, involved him making a decisive intercept when the Crusaders looked like scoring a try. He showed he had good pace to defeat the attempted tackle of Will Jordan, the super-talented Crusaders outside back who is being touted for the All Blacks this year.
Dave Rennie, the new Wallabies coach, has insisted that age or experience won’t be his criterion in selecting his teams.
For the record, Folau made a brilliant Test debut for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions, scoring a sensational try after only 14 Super Rugby matches. This is around the same number of Super Rugby matches Nawaqanitawase will have played if he continues to be selected for the Waratahs, as his form suggests he will be.
The other highly-touted youngster playing for the Waratahs was Will Harrison, the youngest Waratah to debut in the number ten jersey.
It is much harder to be brilliant as a playmaker than it is as a winger. Harrison looked composed, even cocky at times. He was neat with his passing and, to his credit, the Waratahs back line flowed much more effectively than it has in the past several years.
There was much to like about his resilience in taking on the defence from time to time, much like the Brumbies playmaker Noah Lolesio, another 20-year-old who like Harrison played with a calmness that was impressive.
The playmaker role, though, is not as easily mastered as playing on the wing.
Harrison, for instance, was given a master class of how to play his position by Richie Mo’unga.
While he was on the field, Mo’unga was brilliant.
He knew that Harrison was inexperienced so he targeted him with quick and effective rush tackles when the Waratahs were slow in clearing the ball from rucks.
Early on, to nullify the rush defence of the Waratahs, he kicked to the wings. Then later in the match, when the Waratahs were exploiting the Crusaders’ mistakes inside their 22, he started to kick long.
(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
And then, to exploit the jumping power of the Crusaders’ sensational young wing, the physically imposing Leicster Fainga’anuku, he punted massive bombs for the youngster to power through and snatch.
Incidentally, I hope that the Waratahs coach Rob Penney notes this middle-field bomb tactical variation of the pass-kick to the winger because Nawaqanitawase is every bit as lethal in the air as Fainga’anuka, providing the kick is appropriate.
And now we come to the much-touted Queensland Reds youngsters, Harry Wilson and Liam Wright, the number eight and number seven for the Reds.
To give readers a sense of these players, Wilson has been compared by the veteran Queensland rugby writer Wayne Smith to Mark Loane. Loane, like Wilson, made his debut as number eight for the Reds as a teenager.
Those of us of a certain age will maintain forever that Australian rugby has never produced a number eight as powerful in his running and defence, as well as being as inspirational to his teammates, as Loane.
There was enough evidence from the tough match against the Brumbies to suggest that Wilson might some day be come to be seen as a successor to Mark the Great.
Liam Wright, too, is a throwback to another Queensland loose forward legend, Liam Gill.
Wright, who has a rangy build, has a similar skill set with his passing and running and a mongrel attitude at the breakdown as the original Liam.
These two youngsters were most impressive. They maintained their workrate right to the end of the match, with Wilson scoring a try at the end, which gave the Reds a narrow opportunity to snatch a victory that seemingly had slipped away from them after they squandered their half-time lead of 17-7.
It was noticeable, too, that Michael Hooper – now released from captaincy duties for the Waratahs – played one of his best games against the Crusaders. His work at the breakdown, particularly, was stronger and more effective than what we’ve seen from him in the past.
There is nothing like a bit of pressure from youngsters for a place in the Wallabies to bring out the best in an old-timer.
The Reds under Brad Thorn have a bad case of the away-from-home blues, the inability to win matches outside of Queensland.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The record is something like four away wins in 33 matches.
This is unlikely to improve as they now are on their way to South Africa to play the Lions.
The results of the South African sides over the weekend indicate that they have taken inspiration from the Springboks’ magnificent Rugby World Cup triumph.
Visiting sides are going to find it hard to win against them, especially in South Africa, if the Stormers’ monstering of the Hurricanes is any indication.
The Waratahs play the Blues in Newcastle. The Aucklanders, like the Reds, have been singing the away blues now for several years.
The Blues looked like an improved side in the first half of their match with the Chiefs in Hamilton. But the injection of some senior Chiefs players, especially Aaron Cruden, turned the match around for the home side.
The Brumbies play the Rebels in Canberra, a match they should win after the Rebels played like headless chooks against a willing Sunwolves side in Japan.
The Rebels had enjoyed a five-year winning streak against the Sunwolves. But they were out-played and out-enthused by a Sunwolves side of bits and pieces.
There are questions that are going to be asked of Dave Wessels if this poor form of the Rebels continues.
The worst aspect about the play of the Rebels is that, according to Nick Wasiliev writing for Rugby.com.au, “to add insult to injury, two of the biggest standout performances (for the Sunwolves) were from former Brumby James Dargaville and former Red/Rebel Jake Schatz”.
Why do players perform better when they go overseas and leave Australian coaches?
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Has Twiggy ever offered to bankroll Aussie rugby permanently, with no strings attached?
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Again, though, it’s irrelevant. No one denies that there are positives to super rugby in every city. The problem is that we had neither the money nor the players to make it a success. That, ultimately, is why the Force were cut. Having to relocate for a professional sporting career is a fact of life for most people. It’s also somewhat irrelevant.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Nah, not really. We have far fewer juniors than NZ, but more seniors. Theses indicative of a bunch of casual older players, not serious juniors intending on going professional. Add to that that unlike those other countries we have the AFL and NRL signing most of our best football athletes. That’s irrelevant. I didn’t state that there wasn’t benefits to having a super team in every population centre - obviously, there is. However, it’s also wrong to thing that a super team needs to be in every population centre. The Force were a poor team who never performed and WA was still a significant talent importer rather than exporter. Add to this, it was losing money and not producing results on the field - never making the finals after a decade, even when 8 teams made the finals. Compare that to the Brumbies making the final in its second year.
Harry Jones
Expert
Liam Wright looks like a fine player. He’s quite a lot taller than Liam Gill. I think he could easily add muscle and play a hard, mobile 6 for Australia. Finally a Fardy-ish player?
SD
Guest
In Brief that was sarcasm, right?
Ex force fan
Guest
Rugger, I do not advocate the Western Force should join Superugby... there is too much water under that bridge. I do however point out the flaws in Rugby Australia’s decision making and how these decisions are not in the interest of Australian rugby. Australia has more registered players than New Zealand however only two states, QLD and NSW, regularly produce quality players. The argument that Australia do not have enough players for 5 professional rugby franchises are wrong and with Twiggy’s financial backing there is enough funds to maintain 5 franchises. The problem is that Australia’s rugby system does not produce enough quality players. What I advocate for is that it is in Australian rugby’s interests that their 3rd largest register player base (WA) that is also geographically isolated from the others can develop into an area that regularly produce quality players. A lot of progress has been made since 2004 to improve WA club rugby although we were set back 5 years when the Force was axed and we lost so many young upcoming players. RA’s view is to exploit instead of developed WA is also undermining this progress. The unwritten RA policy is that local talent must relocate and play Superugby before they can be considered for higher honours. To allow WA to develop in a Wallaby factory it is essential that WA has a professional rugby franchise that regularly plays high-quality rugby but also where these players are able to progress their careers to the national level without having to relocate. If WA can hold on to the vary players we invested in, we get the opportunity to get a return on this investment when these players contribute to the local club competition during and after their careers. Twiggy setup the GRR with private funding, a competition that should continue to improve to become a high-quality competition, there are already good coaching structures, the privately funded Future Force development program are as good as it gets and we have a pipeline of good young upcoming talents. All we need is a change in mindset and policies at RA to reflect a view that GRR and the Western Force can be complimentary to Superugby instead of competitive. We need to stop thinking win-lose like bankers and start thinking win-win like rugby people. It is in Australian rugby’s long term interest to stop undermining the GRR and Western Force so that WA can become a Wallaby factory.
Rugger
Guest
You are kidding yourself if you think the Western Force will ever be brought back into the Super Rugby fold after their 12 seasons of epic failure. They are certainly worthy NRC participants but anything beyond that would be a bridge too far. Melbourne is a much better fourth team as well as a more convenient travel destination for teams from the heartland. Perth was like home ground advantage to South African teams
Garry
Guest
Exiled without a replacement. Sounded churlish and bitter at the time. Thorn will be forever judged for it.
Garry
Guest
More rope for Thorny. Seems we have an endless amount for him. Perhaps the RA should be prioritising our problem of lack of quality coaches in Oz?
In brief
Guest
Let’s see / why compare a player with another player he resembles in physique, and playing style. Good question, not.
In brief
Guest
Izzy was our best back for every season he played at Waratahs and Wallabies. His offload game was unbelievable, he could break tackles, ran great lines, won kick off returns (which Australia was hopeless at workout him in World Cup). Only weakness was lazy in Defense at times but unlike many of our forwards he could tackle.
Ex force fan
Guest
I was impressed with what he has done at the Force in 2017 taking a young team without any stars and developing them into a very competitive and cohesive team in a very short time. He also shown the ability to bring young players into the system. What impressed me most was the way he presented himself and the way he took personal responsibility for his mistakes and keep the team members responsible for their mistakes and poor performance instead of finding excuses for poor performance such as injuries, travel, game schedule etc. My view that he is a good coach is supported by coaches he worked with before like Jake White and Rassie Erasmus. Wessels has not won anything yet, but neither has any of the other Australian Superugby coaches.
Ex force fan
Guest
A merger will provide a real connection between the Superugby team and the local competitions. Without this connection professional rugby will not survive. If it is clear that local club rugby in WA and Victoria and their NRC teams are feeding into the Rebels side, and that we only look at recruiting players that the local competition can not provide then player that play in WA and Victoria's club competitions can be confident that they will get a look in without having to relocate to NSW or QLD. This will encourage investment in local club competitions and junior levels as we have seen in WA (see my other reply to the other points you have made)
Tight-Head
Roar Rookie
What makes you say Wessels is a good coach? He certainly doesn’t have an impressive record.
Ex force fan
Guest
We never had the requisite number of players to field 5 competitive teams. World Rugby’s states that Australia have 230,753, New Zealand 150,727 and South Africa 405,438 registered players. If the number of registered players is the problem then surely New Zealand should struggles to field 5 competitive teams. The number of players is not the problem, the real problem is that Australia's rugby system does not produce enough Quality players. Our system including coaching and quality of competition are just not at New Zealand's standard. It should be self evident that to produce more quality players you should improve the coaching and quality of competition - how do you do this? I think it is wrong thinking to think a team is required in every population centre. That’s about the NRC is for. Super Rugby should be about centralising the best of the best from the national competition. You will find the bulk of your promising players at population centres playing junior and senior rugby. This is where the rugby system is broken and I will use WA as an example of how to improve the system and why the NRC is insufficient. Prior to axing of the Force, WA had the 3rd largest and fastest growing player base in Australia. The problem was not the number of players or interest in the game but the lack of quality players that were produced. By establishing the Western Force, we created an opportunity to attracted promising players and coaches to the WA club competition, this took time but significantly improved the quality of the club competition to a point where TPN in 2017 remarked (rather kindly to WA in my view) that he believe the Perth club competition is just as tough as the Sydney competition. Players did not only came from the Eastern States to play in WA, we were able to hold on to most of our local talent and players and coaches from New Zealand, England and South Africa all did their share to improve the competition. The privately funded Future Force provided upcoming talent with the opportunity to focus on their rugby careers with a bias towards WA grown talent. This system still delivers players ready for Superugby as evident with the number of young WA grown talent signed by Superugby teams for 2020. The requirement for players to relocate to play Superugby and be eligible for Wallaby selection means that these players are not only lost to the Force NRC team but also to WA club rugby. It does not take a genius to figure out that if you continue to lose your best young talent that the quality of the club competition will decline and that your NRC team will struggle to be competitive and will eventually be sacked. Every other NRC team except the Force are feeding into a Superugby team. This is what happened to WA Rugby prior to the Force when we produced a single Wallaby in a century. If Twiggy Forrest has not funded a professional Force team, how many players that played NRC for the Force last year, would have played here? There is no professional rugby pathway for WA players without a quality club competition and the Western Force is the capstone that keeps everything together.
Tight-Head
Roar Rookie
Possibly the best summation of Beale ive read in a long time - every time he touches the ball I get excited and nervous at the same time!
mused6
Roar Rookie
It’s early days, let’s see how the teams adjust over the next few weeks.
Peximus
Guest
Why compare him with Izzy? Is he the standard now after all the rubbish spewed out from RA?! It would be better to compare him (and all of Oz young players) to RC & AJ who set the standards for RA!
jeznez
Roar Guru
Other was Talakai, his work rate around the ground wasn’t great but he didn’t get much time in the trials so isn’t match fit. I thought he scrummed much better that Tet. Crusaders were walking around Talakai while they had been driving through Faulkner.
JamesDuncan
Roar Guru
Good call on the cross kicks to Nawaqanitawase. That could be a great weapon, particularly if they can land the kicks in goal.