Why reborn winger is central to Waratahs’ Super Rugby hopes

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Why reborn winger is central to Waratahs’ Super Rugby hopes

By Paul Cully
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As Waratahs wing Mark Nawaqanitawase was doing an interview with Sky NZ on the field at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Sunday, there was a bloke hanging off to his side.

When Nawaqanitawase was done, he headed towards the dressing room, but not before sharing an embrace and smiles with that bloke after the 32-20 win over the Highlanders.

The warmth between the pair was so genuine that it could have been a scene between father and son at junior footy on a Saturday morning.

The bloke was Waratahs coach Darren Coleman, and there is a back-story to that moment that says a lot about the Tahs’ rebirth this year.

“Just a big stick to be honest. A big stick to a big man,” Coleman told me afterwards when asked about what method he had used to transform Nawaqanitawase’s career.

“We had a lot of really deep chats. His footy career was at the crossroads. He had no chance of getting picked. We went to our first trial in Roma against the Reds, and he was the seventh-ranked back three player. He didn’t even make the two teams that played in that trial.

Mark Nawaqanitawase has gone from strength to strength for the Waratahs this season.

Mark Nawaqanitawase has gone from strength to strength for the Waratahs this season.Credit:Getty

“I said to him, ‘Until he starts playing to his ability and physical prowess then we won’t pick him’. And from then he just went from strength to strength.”

If it’s not already clear to Waratahs fans, you enter a nonsense-free zone when you talk to Coleman. He’s a coach who doesn’t talk like a coach, which paradoxically may be his greatest strength in the job.

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In Nawaqanitawase’s case, it turned around a player who was heading straight for the ‘wasted talent’ bargain bin into someone who is putting himself in the Wallabies conversation. Nawaqanitawase has all the gifts, but let’s be blunt - until this season it didn’t look like he was tough enough. He was poor in defence and didn’t use that frame well enough to dominate on attack. But, he flipped that perception on its head this year.

“The best thing he’s done this year is that he’s just been consistent,” Coleman said. “He obviously burst onto the scene against the Reds in the rain [in round six].

Waratahs coach Darren Coleman is looking ahead to the Brumbies after facing an understrength Blues side this weekend.

Waratahs coach Darren Coleman is looking ahead to the Brumbies after facing an understrength Blues side this weekend.Credit:Getty

“He’s had one sub-par game, but other than that he’s been [performing] week-in, week-out. And, some of those things that I thought would take a while to become habitual, around his contact toughness, he’s shown them every week. He’s been awesome.”

Nawaqanitawase’s greatest strength is his aerial prowess. At 193cm he’s a tall link at the end of the chain, and it is this attribute that must be making the Wallabies selectors take a look.

We already know it’s a quality they like given their interest in the Reds’ Suliasi Vunivalu, and as Super Rugby reaches the pointy end of the competition, Nawaqanitawase and Vunivalu may be jostling for the same spot in the Wallabies’ squad for the three-Test England series in July.

We already know Eddie Jones’ side will have size in the back three - fullback Freddie Steward is 196cm and left-wing contender Joe Cokanasiga is 192cm (and 112kg). The aerial game will be critical, and Tom Banks, Jock Campbell, Marika Koroibete and Andrew Kellaway don’t quite offer the same presence as Vunivalu or Nawaqanitawase.

Suliasi Vunivalu is likely to battle with Nawaqanitawase for a Wallabies spot against England.

Suliasi Vunivalu is likely to battle with Nawaqanitawase for a Wallabies spot against England.Credit:Getty

The latter’s advantage may simply be opportunity. The Reds face back-to-back games against the Crusaders on bitingly cold Christchurch evenings, while the Waratahs are likely to play the Brumbies in Canberra after they host an understrength Blues in Sydney on Saturday.

That is a pathway to the semi-finals the Waratahs like.

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“I look ahead. That’s definitely what we want,” Coleman said. “I’d love to go to Canberra and beat the Brumbies. Let’s see how the next week folds out but that’s looking like a pretty likely scenario now and we can’t wait.

“We wanted to be the best Australian team or challenge the top Australian team in year one. And if we get a chance to do that in the first play-offs week, that would be awesome.”

My sense is that the Waratahs would beat the Brumbies. They have greater variety to their game, and are developing a clinical edge to score points when it matters. But, they will still need the new Mark Nawaqanitawase to keep up his remarkable rate of progress.

Watch every match of the Super Rugby Pacific on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport. Continues this weekend with Crusaders v Reds (Friday 4:30pm AEST), Moana Pasifika v Brumbies (Saturday 4:30pm AEST), and Waratahs v Blues (Saturday 7:15pm AEST). All streaming ad-free, live and on demand only on Stan Sport.

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