The 26-year-old has taken some time to find his feet in his return to Super Rugby with the Crusaders, moving from the wing to the bench to the midfield to the bench and back to the midfield in seven appearances this year.
But when openside flanker Johnny Lee was replaced by first five-eighths Rivez Reihana with 20 minutes to go against the Drua on Friday, Fainga’anuku got his chance to grab the attention of All Blacks selectors in a different manner.
For the final quarter of the contest, it was Fainga’anuku who moved into the loose trio, packing down at the back of the scrum and getting to test himself in the thick of the action. It was the first time Crusaders coach Rob Penney had called on Fainga’anuku to shift into No 8, but most likely not the last.
“He’s such a tiger, and he loves it. It’s not like we’re putting him in there against his will. He’s very much part of that discussion. It’s awesome, he’s literally a hybrid,” Penney said after the match.
“That’s probably his superpower, to be physical and dominate with subtle touches on the edges of that. He’s a great acquisition for us.”
The hybrid player has become a real asset at test level in recent times. The Springboks have Kwagga Smith, who seems to be able to play anywhere he’s told to, and midfield/flanker Andre Esterhuizen. England have Ben Earl, who can also move between the midfield and loose trio, and Henry Pollock, who is a loosie by trade but can also cover the wing.
Fainga’anuku adding this element to his arsenal will only make him a more appealing prospect for a new coaching group looking at ways to maximise their game-day options, though it could involve Fainga’anuku being pinned to a bench role where that versatility can be best utilised.
Loser: Wounded Warriors
The thing about bright beginnings is that somewhere along the way a patch of darkness will encroach on the path. From 3-0 and everything going right to 3-2 and the losses coming with interest in the form of injuries, the dark patch on the road has come quickly for the Warriors.
In last week’s loss to Wests Tigers, they lost Mitch Barnett to a thumb injury. On Sunday evening against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at Shark Park, they saw star Luke Metcalf (hamstring) and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (neck) hobble off the field in the second half.
Both Barnett and Metcalf missed the start of the season due to knee injuries, and again face time on the sidelines. While the severity of Metcalf’s latest injury is not yet clear, Warriors coach Andrew Webster confirmed the half would not be available for next weekend’s clash with the Melbourne Storm. The coach did, however, indicate Nicoll-Klokstad would likely be available for the trip to Melbourne.
But that’s exactly what the Warriors don’t need right now – an away trip to the Storm. That not only because of the losses, but the way they have come.
After a strong start to the NRL season, the Warriors have struggled over the past two weeks. Photo / Photosport
In the first three weeks of the season, the Warriors were spectacular. Their attack was crisp, averaging 40 points per game, and their defence matched. But after conceding just 36 points through their first three weeks, the Warriors have let in more than 30 points in both of their last two games, with the edge defence a particular cause for concern.
The Warriors have not beaten the Storm since 2015, and you have to go back another year to find the last time they beat the Storm in Melbourne. They are currently on a 17-game losing streak to the Storm.
Melbourne are currently on a three-game skid, giving up double-digit leads against the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys before having 50 put on them by the Penrith Panthers on Good Friday.
You just know coach Craig Bellamy is going to have his side fired up to welcome a wounded Warriors side who conceded nine linebreaks and 36 points against the Sharks to AAMI Park this weekend.
Winner: Bev Priestman
Hat’s off to the coach of the Wellington Phoenix Women’s team.
The side secured a top-two finish in the A-League Women’s competition with their 2-0 win over Adelaide on Friday, meaning they get a free pass into the semi-finals. It’s the first time in five seasons that the women’s team have made the playoffs.
Signing Priestman to lead the side this season was a decision that turned a few heads after her role in the Olympic drone saga, where her Canadian team were caught spying on the Football Ferns’ preparations.
Priestman was banned from all football-related activities for a year as a result and has since said in interviews that she didn’t feel safe in Canada afterwards.
Bev Priestman took the reins with the Wellington Phoenix Women’s team after serving a one-year ban from football. Photo / Photosport
Eventually relocating to New Zealand with her wife, former Football Fern Emma Humphries, and son Jack, Priestman could easily have stayed away from the game – or at least roles within the game that put you in the spotlight.
Instead, she faced the music and took the reins at the Phoenix last July. At the time, the Herald’s Bonnie Jansen hailed the appointment as a genius move by the club, and it has proven to be so.
Loser: Super Rugby Pacific’s Easter concession
With big matches and full slates, Easter weekend belonged to the NRL and AFL.
Super Rugby Pacific, on the other hand, opted to run a small offering of just three games, two in New Zealand and one in Australia, to give fans of the 15-a-side code their weekly fix.
That’s a big drop from last year, when Super Rugby had a five-game slate that kicked off on Good Friday with a clash between the Crusaders and Blues in Christchurch.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine, Super Rugby chief executive Jack Mesley explained the decision.
“When we were building out the draw, we had six home clubs with venues saying they were unavailable, then we’ve got two clubs that, for religious reasons, didn’t want to be hosting on Easter weekend. It left us with few options to schedule the weekend. When we’re working with clubs, historically our clubs say Easter weekend is a difficult weekend for them. Quite often people are leaving town … so their preference often is not to play on long weekends.”
Fair enough.
As a member of the media, I have appreciated how Mesley has operated in the space since stepping into the role last year. He is a straight shooter who is happy to have discussions about the direction of the competition and the reasoning behind certain decisions.
And the indication was that such a schedule over Easter could become a regular thing for the competition moving forward.
“We’ve been very upfront that we’re going to try some things and we’re going to learn. Some things will work and some things won’t. The important thing is we learn and adjust. We’ll do a review of it for sure and take that into next year.
“But also going back to one of the key points here, six of our venues were unavailable for Super Rugby this weekend so we’ll need to work in with our venues … and see what’s available.”
He also noted that as an 11-team competition where everyone has two byes, having one weekend with just three games eliminated the need for two weekends with only four games somewhere further down the track.
Lose the battle, win the war, I guess.
Winner: Catches win matches
When the Seattle Mariners were dealt a 1-0 loss in their Major League Baseball game against the LA Angels on Sunday, they would have left the ground with the same thought – Jo Adell is some sort of defensive freak.
The Angels’ right fielder had one of the best individual performances you’ll see as he robbed the Mariners of three home runs in the match. The third was the most impressive, as he leapt to catch what would have been a game-tying blast at the top of the final inning, before falling into the stands where he celebrated the catch among the fans.
It’s part of what makes baseball so great. It’s early in the season, but you never know what you might see when you tune into an MLB game. There are so many variables that go into the outcome of a baseball game and sometimes you see an individual gem like Adell had on Sunday.
The Mariners returned for the final game of the series on Monday morning, and beat writer Daniel Kramer shared a photo of the Seattle side’s game plan, with a whiteboard reading: “Don’t hit the ball to Joseph Adell.”
Seattle lost Monday’s game 8-7 in extra innings.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.