All Blacks youngster Wallace Sititi believes he is ready for the challenge ahead of him this weekend, detailing he is ‘keen to get into it’.
The Chiefs ace has two caps to his name after making his international debut off the bench in the 47-5 dismantling of Fiji, but this weekend he will mark his first start for the All Blacks in their crucial Rugby Championship clash against the Springboks.
He comes into the starting line-up for the injured Ethan Blackadder, who has picked up a hamstring injury during the week.
“Keen to get into it”
Commenting on making his first start, Sititi said: “Yeah I’m definitely excited. It’s a big Test and it’s my first start as well so I’m excited to see how I do and how I challenge myself as well.”
He added: “I’m still feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I’m still really excited and keen to get into it.”
A big issue for New Zealand this Rugby Championship has been their inability to close out games in the final stages, but Sititi said he will be looking to put in a full 80-minute performance.
“I think the big thing I can add is the ability to play for the full 80. I want to keep the level high throughout the game, and we all know it’ll be a physical game so I’ll be expecting that this week.”
Shifting across the back-row
Sititi was one of the Chiefs’ standout players this Super Rugby season, however, he played the entirety of the campaign at number eight.
He does have first-grade experience at blindside, but this has come in the NPC with North Harbour, but he detailed he has been going fine in training in this new position.
“It’s a big change, but I’ve prepped well through the week and if I get my reps right I should be fine. I’ve had a couple of experiences, probably my most recent experience there, at North Harbour. It’ll be a big change but if I’ve got the reps in throughout the week.”
He slots into the number six jersey ahead of Chiefs teammate Luke Jacobson, who has started for the All Blacks in this position against South Africa in the past, but Jacobson’s ability to cover the entire back-row makes him a versatile option on the bench.
Praise from Razor
Despite his age and inexperience at Test level, Sititi has earned high praise from All Blacks boss Scott Robertson, with Razor detailing why this is ‘his time’ to come into the starting squad.