All Blacks v Wallabies: Wallace Sititi’s comeback gathers pace after strong Bledisloe display
He’s had to be patient, to look within and ride test rugby’s rocky wave to overcoming several setbacks.
But for the remainder of this year, the door is ajar for Wallace Sititi to press his case to maintain his regained starting status.
Two years ago Sititi could do no wrong. A rookie, breakout season with the Chiefs – more specifically one of the great individual semi-final performances against the Hurricanes in Wellington – propelled him into the All Blacks.
Two weeks after his 22nd birthday Sititi debuted off the bench before being thrown in to start at blindside flanker against the Springboks in Cape Town. His athleticism and breadth of skill shone against the Boks – no mean feat against the bully boy world champions on home soil.
Standout performances against the Wallabies in Sydney, and England at Twickenham, followed.
By the end of his rookie test season, Sititi earned recognition as World Rugby breakout and the All Blacks player of the year. He was seemingly destined to dominate.
Every test veteran will say their careers are not linear, though.
Injuries, individual and team form fluctuations, coaching and culture changes, internal competition and personal adversity all contribute to on-field performance.
From the heights of his first test season through to a return to Sydney this weekend, Sititi has experienced the spectrum of those challenges.
“It’s been tough,” Sititi reflected with the Herald this week.
“That first year everything was going right and good things were just flowing off my hands.
“I put a few good performances in and the last few years has been a bit stop start, a bit disruptive with injuries and performance dips. I’ve learnt that’s part of the journey, especially in this environment where the quality of the players are top notch.”
Last year knee surgery forced Sititi to miss most of Super Rugby and while he returned in nine tests, a nasty concussion clash in this year’s quarter-final with the Chiefs left lingering concerns.
One month later he returned for the All Blacks off the bench in Dave Rennie’s first test at the helm before starting the following week against Italy in Wellington. It was clear, though, in his uncharacteristically ineffective performance, that the severe head knock had rocked Sititi’s confidence.
In the greatest rivalry tour to South Africa, Sititi slipped down the stacked loose forward pecking order to largely feature in the midweek matches. Gradually, though, he’s worked his way back.
Two tests off the bench against the Boks elevated him to start as the All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park last week.
Sititi delivered his best performance of the year against the Wallabies with a team-high 18 carries contributing to a dominant platform.
As he strives to repeat those efforts in the rematch with the Wallabies this weekend, the peaks and troughs of the last two years continue to shape him.
“It’s a challenge I like to think I’ve taken head on. I’ve definitely learnt to come out the other side a better person.
“It’s not easy, especially mentally. It plays games with your mind, your mental state and with your confidence. My faith has guided me through this journey. That’s grounded me and it’s something I turn to. I’m still building. There’ll be tough challenges to come too.
“It’s been an up and down year. I had a few injuries during Super and now it’s getting back into my flow. It was a good step in the right direction last week but it’s about backing it up again with another performance.”
Sititi’s inherent ball-playing skill and footwork set him apart from many loose forwards but confronting the Springboks in South Africa repeatedly reminded him of the non-negotiables test rugby demands from forwards.
“It was a tough tour, pretty intense, but getting to go away for seven weeks with your mates to play footy was enjoyable. There’s a lot worse places to be.
“Playing the South Africans four times in a row taught me that test footy is about that physicality and the brutality of the contact area. If we’re not winning that, it’s going to be a tough day. We’ve learnt that especially as a forward pack. We’ve got to be able to dominate and control the set piece area.
“It was definitely tough mentally. You want to be in the 23, you want to be starting, every week. Everyone here has that mindset.
“There’s a lot of depth in the loosies so I had to be patient and keep my faith strong because it was definitely tested during that time. I’m grateful I was able to get an opportunity and put a few decent performances out and then get the start last week.”
With Ardie Savea and Luke Jacobson ruled out for the rest of the year Sititi will savour more chances to press his claims alongside Peter Lakai, Anton Segner, Shannon Frizell and, fitness permitting, Ethan Blackadder.
While he can pull off sumptuous plays, Sititi is more likely to be judged on his work-rate and go-forward under Rennie.
Graft before the highlight reel moments.
“It’s a mixture of nailing the small areas of my game and having the mentality to play free. That’s when we play our best, like being in the backyard. I’ve worked closely with our mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka.
“He’s helped me along the way and now it’s about going out there and playing with that freedom, letting things flow, creating for myself and others while doing my core roles.
“I enjoyed that outing last week, backed up by a good performance from the team. We’ll take a lot of confidence from that.”
Savea and Jacobson’s absences leave a largely youthful All Blacks loosie brigade – Sititi, 24, Lakai, 23, Segner, 25, – with invaluable runway to hone their craft and come of age.
“We lost some great men, some of our experienced senior boys in Luke and Ardie. We’ve been boosted by Shannon Frizell coming back in. He’s been immense for me.
“There’s a lot of changes but there’s still a lot of quality. Myself and Peter Lakai, who has been amazing, have to step up now and lead this group forward.”
Sititi’s two-year ride proves nothing comes easy on the test scene but with a vacancy to fill, he’s now well placed to seize the lessons he’s absorbed.
Liam Napier is a senior sports journalist and rugby correspondent for the NZ Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.
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