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Recent monstrous tackles confirm Fekitoa's reputation as Wasps midfielder to be feared

By Chris Jones

03 Jan 2020

Malakai Fekitoa has come into form in recent weeks at Wasps (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Dai Young is backing World Cup-winning centre Malakai Fekitoa to unleash his “monstrous” tackling on Northampton on Sunday and deliver another performance to confirm his reputation as a midfield force to be feared in Gallagher Premiership.

Fekitoa has taken time to find his form after joining Wasps from Toulon in the summer but he was central to the team’s morale-boosting 26-21 victory over Bristol at Ashton Gate last weekend.

A member of the All Black 2015 World Cup-winning squad, Fekitoa won 24 caps before heading to France and has was added to the Wasps backline to give them some added midfield physicality – something they lack without the 27-year-old in the line-up.

Director of rugby Young now wants to see Fekitoa deliver more of his impressive ball-carrying and tackling against second-placed Northampton, whose defence was repeatedly opened up by Gloucester a week ago.

Young told RugbyPass: “We knew about the physicality he brings and in fairness to Malakai he is getting better with every game. Like any player coming into a new team, it takes time to settle although being in Toulon for two years makes it a little easier.

(Continue reading below…)

RugbyPass travelled to Brecon to see how life after rugby is treating former Wasps player Andy Powell

“However, you still have to get used to the defensive and attacking patterns. He is starting to show the potential and quality that we know he possesses. He wasn’t fully fit in his first couple of games for us because he was carrying a bit of a knock into pre-season and now he is looking sharper.

“He gives us something we don’t have in the rest of our backline because we have a lot of nice players but lack that physicality. Malakai has given us that and in the last two or three games he has come up with some monstrous tackles which gets everyone up.

“With his ball carries he never fails to beat the first guy which puts you on the front foot and opens up space for others to exploit. It is also important that he is getting more and more comfortable off the pitch because he is a quiet guy.

‘Scotland have got to win some away games in the Six Nations… psychologically, we have got to be more resilient when things don’t go well’
– Ex-assistant Matt Taylor on what next for Scotland ahead of his departure for the Wallabies. @JLyall93 reports 📈https://t.co/9vmtXfUliI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 3, 2020

“He is now speaking more and offering opinions. When you sign a player with his kind of experience you are hoping he brings other things with him besides his play so that others can learn and feed off. We are pleased with him but don’t think we have yet seen the best of Malakai. There is more to come.”

Young is also predicting Fekitoa will forge an increasingly dangerous double act with fellow All Black Lima Sopoaga once the out-half recovers from his recent illness. “Malakai’s arrival has already impacted on Lima who has been really unlucky in the last couple of weeks with a chest and throat infection.

“Before his illness, I thought he was looking like a different player and starting to play with confidence and a smile on his face. Malakai helps this because they used to play together. I am sure we will see that partnership really start to flourish.”

“PRO14 rugby is much more exciting than Premiership rugby, has been for years."
– Michael Bradley talks Prem v PRO14 with @heagneyl 👨‍💼https://t.co/iTlvoOlb8y
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 29, 2019

Young missed Nizaam Carr’s last-gasp try which gave Wasps the win at Bristol because he was in a lift travelling down to the dressing room level from his place in the stand. “We have got hold of that lucky lift and installed it in the Ricoh Arena,” he joked.

“You can score points against Northampton and open them up in midfield, but we know they are a dangerous side.”

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Comments on RugbyPass

GrahamVF 32 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

500k registered players in SA are scoolgoers and 90% of them don't go on to senior club rugby. SA is fed by having hundreds upon hundreds of schools that play rugby - school rugby is an institution of note in SA - but as I say for the vast majority when they leave school that's it.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 38 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

There is a continued murmur in local circles about reciprocal bi annual tours between SA and Argentine. Whether it's full blooded test tours or development tours or a mixture - ie touring with a "test" 20 and a development 20 the cream of which will be used in tests. We actually really enjoy playing the Argies and I believe they enjoy playing us. It goes back seventy years to the Junior Bok tours to Argentine involving Isaac van Heerden.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 46 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

About 500K of those are schoolboys 90% of which will not go on to play club rugby.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 47 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Exactly. Shoo would that it was so easy to develop competitions.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 51 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

SA wealthy? Compared to which countries. The economy is in tatters unemployment is at record low numbers and you think SA has money to spend on rugby development -0 and remember the SARU was technically bankrupt and was only saved by the COVID tour of the B&I Lions. No Sa doesn't have spare cash lying round for rugby development and given the resources SARU is doing just fine.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 54 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

South African domestic rugby is in great shape. Four top tier franchises fed by a series of competitions ranging from national schools competitions through Varsity Cup to Currie Cup and then to top four franchises is a model Australia would do well to follow. SA should never have more than four top domestic teams.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 59 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

That might be the best spin off from SA's involvement north of the line.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 59 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Of course not Nick 😉

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

We have our own theories about The Sharks. Plumtree is a good coach but he has not done anywhere near the best he could with the talent and money he has at his disposal and it doesn't help to have a marquee director of rugby who has spent by far the majority of his career playing and coaching sevens.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Don't worry - you'll win again soon then you'll feel a lot better. Right now get on with your SH comps and we'll get on with being barely the best in the world.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

JW you really have no idea of how Africa works. It will take generations not decades no matter how much SA puts into it. The poverty in Africa is something that is obviously beyond your understanding. Do you think the governments of impoverished nations are going to watch happily as rugby pours massive investments into infrastructure to promote what is essentially a white western game? And SA was trying hard to develop the game in Africa until the African vote blocked our "23 bid after the independent consultants to the RFU voted unanimously for SA? The Confederation of African Rugby virtually excluded South Africa.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Nick, our association with Argentina Rugby runs very long and deep. We are exploring reciprocal two/three test tours in the future - and even more games at neutral venues such as in Europe where a lot of both teams have players anyway.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.

"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"

After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.

It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 2 hours ago

How Wallace Sititi humbly reacted to All Blacks Player of the Year honour