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'He's a real breath of fresh air... it's very rare that you get rapid and strong'

(Photo by PA)

Bristol boss Pat Lam has hailed the superlative recent form of his new Fijian winger Siva Naulago, who has been on fire in recent weeks for the current Gallagher Premiership leaders. The 29-year-old, who was signed last year from Super League outfit Hull, was sent for some additional union tuition just last month.

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Naulago had scored just one try in his initial four Premiership starts, an exposure that culminated in the Bristol defeat by Sale in early February. However, ever since assistant coach Conor McPhillips took him aside to explain some of the positional nuances of elite-level rugby union compared to league, Naulago has hit top form.

He scored twice at London Irish and while he recorded a blank in his next outing against Leicester, he was unstoppable last weekend at Worcester, running in a try hat-trick to take his tally to five tries in his last three matches and six in all over the course of seven Premiership appearances.

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Finn Russell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

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Finn Russell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

Naulago, who enlisted in the British Army at the age of 20 and has seen active duty in Afghanistan, is now in the Bristol team for Friday’s night league game at home to Wasps and Lam can’t wait to see the latest exploits of his flying Fijian unfold.

“We just love the fact the best players you get are coachable players, players who are ambitious. They can have talent but they have got to be coachable,” enthused Lam. “The first thing he said to us after the Worcester game, we go ‘well done’ and he was, ‘Oh, I should have used two hands to give that ball to Nisi [Niyi Adeolokun]’.

“I had that in my notes. I went ‘that’s good’ and then he also says, ‘I should have let that ball bounce’. He is just thinking about how to get better. He is military, he’s army and he is so fit. Sometimes guys can be really quick but when you look at him afterwards he looks like he can keep going with his work rate.

“There was a time in the game where Billy Searle kicked the ball back to the corner where there was space. Siva read it perfectly. He just saw it and got back, caught the ball, whereas when he first came he wasn’t thinking about those things, a lot of positional stuff and where he is going.

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“Even the lines he ran, he missed a couple early on in previous games but Conor McPhillips has been working with him around the lines, where he enters. On the first try, we knew Worcester would come flying up there and the full-back closes early so we just talked about getting on that line and Cal [Callum Sheedy] will put the ball over.

“It worked a treat. It’s like in the army, get on the front line, go and do this and it’s ‘yes sir’. That is what he is like. He’s there, ‘Tell me what you want me to do and I will go and do it’. He is a real breath of fresh air and he’s rapid. It’s very rare that you get rapid and strong.

“Obviously he is very close to Semi (Radradra) and we sort of saw touches like when he played against Exeter he played well. Semi was talking to him the whole time but after Semi got injured in the Bath game, in the Sale game we realised how much impact Semi has on Siva because he got caught out in position a few times.

“That is why we pulled him back, did some work with him, allowed him to re-strengthen his hamstrings as well because in rugby league it’s different training. The medical and S&C team did a great job. They re-strengthened them and he is quicker and stronger than he was. It’s exciting.

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“He is still in the army now and is in the barracks, in the houses, and they look after him well. There is a good agreement with the army but he is here for another three, four years which is great.”

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J
JPM 48 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 51 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

11 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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