Although the All Blacks suffered their second successive Rugby Championship loss against the Springboks, in Cape Town on Saturday, there were some positives in that loss.
That was the word from former All Blacks and Blues hooker James Parsons, who highlighted the performance of rookie back-row Wallace Sititi after he shone for the men in black.
Sititi made his Test debut as a replacement in New Zealand‘s 47-5 victory over Fiji in San Diego in July and also played off the bench in his country’s 38-30 loss against Argentina in Wellington last month.
That meant he made his first Test start in a hostile environment against the world champions in Cape Town but despite being just 22 years old, he gave a good account of himself during a 59-minute stint on the field.
Sititi, who shone at number eight for the Chiefs in Super Pacific this year, gained 30 metres from 12 carries against the Boks, while also doing his bit on defence as he made seven tackles, but what made his performance more remarkable is that he played in an unfamiliar position on the blindside flank.
Pleasantly surprised by Sititi’s performance
Parsons admitted that Sititi’s selection was amongst several unexpected changes in All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson’s run-on side but said he was pleasantly surprised by the young loose forward’s performance in Cape Town.
Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Parsons said: “We made some major calls. I did not see that team coming. Like, the way that team was named. And I know it was through a tactical shift, but it was a lot of change.”
The show’s host Ross Karl then said: “Wallace Sititi was impressive.” To which Parsons replied: “Massive.”
He then went on to say that although it will be difficult to leave Ethan Blackadder out of the All Blacks’ run-on side when he’s fit, Sititi certainly caught the eye in Cape Town and his selection brought balance to the three-time world champions’ back-row.
“If Ethan’s fit, you can’t really drop Ethan, but it was the first sort of loose forward trio mix for me, like, Sam Cane had 45 rucks.
“And then between Wallace and Ardie (Savea), they would have had probably about 22 total. So that balance is good. People will look at that and say, “Oh, it should be”, but Sam Cane had three carries, whereas Wallace and Ardie had 15 and 10.
“But again, Sam made the bulk of the tackles. But that balance is what we got so used to with a Jerome Kaino at six. And probably with Shannon Frizzell, at the (2023) World Cup.”
Parsons said he was particularly impressed with Sititi’s ball- carrying ability and how he took the fight to the world champions.