Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Wallace Sititi: 'No, not in a million years... just crazy to say'

By Liam Heagney reporting from Monaco
Wallace Sititi on All Blacks duty in November (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)

A smile as bright as the brightest summer’s day lit up the face of Wallace Sititi on Sunday night in Monaco when he briefly reflected on his rapid five-month journey from nowhere to becoming World Rugby men’s 15s breakthrough player of the year for 2024.

ADVERTISEMENT

The 22-year-old North Harbour hopeful had set himself the modest target of just a single Super Rugby Pacific appearance with the Chiefs. Instead, after featuring 13 times in the run to an Auckland final against the Blues, Scott Robertson wanted a look and the rest is now inspiring history.

A 25-minute debut off the bench in California versus Fiji was followed by four Rugby Championship caps, but the best was yet to come – five successive weekends of smashing out 80-minute performances to help the All Blacks win four of their five tour matches.

Video Spacer

Champions Cup best SA XV not in SA teams | RPTV

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 3:30
Loaded: 0.00%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 3:30
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Champions Cup best SA XV not in SA teams | RPTV

    Robbie Fleck and Nick Mallett pick their best South African XV playing in the Champions Cup, but not in South African teams. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV

    Watch now

    It was Saturday night in Turin when that heavy-duty shift ended, Sititi packing down at blindside in the tour-ending victory over Italy. A day and 260 kilometres later, he was then left blown away on the Monte Carlo stage after learning he had got the jump on fellow award nominees Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of South Africa, England’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ireland’s Jamie Osborne.

    Had he ever imagined his year could spectacularly turn out like this? “No, not in a million years,” he chuckled with RugbyPass when trying to understand it all. “I would have been happy with one game with the Chiefs in the Super Rugby season and to be able to be here is definitely unexpected. Just crazy to say.”

    Related

    If Monaco was an unlikely place for Sititi’s breakthrough year to end, San Diego was just as unlikely a place for it to get started. Robertson’s All Blacks era had got off to a spluttering home Test series victory over England and he wanted to cast the net for the friendly in America to see what might be trawled.

    Sititi was reeled in. “The team gets named on the Tuesday of the week so you sort of have a bit of time to appreciate what is going on,” he explained about the Stateside adventure that ignited his international career.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “You let the family know and it’s just about getting the process right throughout the week and leading up to the game was just the fun bit of the week. It’s about enjoying it, enjoying the moment, being present with the moment and just living.”

    That living included the phone call to back home which even now ‘gets’ him. “Emotional,” he said, recalling what it was like telling his family he was going to be an All Black.

    “I called my dad but obviously my mum was there as well. It was emotional. They had been there with me right from the start, so it’s good to be able to take them on this journey with me and to do this for them is special for me and special for the family.”

    It sure is, especially as his father Semo knows all about the Test arena having played in it himself with Samoa. Ecstatic? “Yes, he is. Definitely.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Now that he has had a moment to take a breath, what advice does Sititi have for ambitious youngsters who have seen his incredible ascent to the top of his sport and aspire to do the same? “Keep your feet on the ground. Keep humble, keep a level head and enjoy the moment.”

    Sititi sure has. Ask what his best tour moment was and there is no hesitation. “Beating England in Twickenham. Just a bit of relief when they missed that drop goal right at the end.”

    Related

    Top 100

    Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players and let us know what you think! 



    ADVERTISEMENT

    Boks Office | Episode 35 | Six Nations Round 2 Review

    O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

    Second round of the Men's Six Nations | Whistle Watch

    Harlequins vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Saitama Wildknights | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

    The Dupont Ploy: How France went from underdogs to Olympic gods | The Report

    Former rugby player is truly an NFL superstar | Walk the Talk | Jordan Mailata

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    J
    JW 3 hours ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

    That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


    All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


    Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


    In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

    90 Go to comments
    J
    Jennifer Ross 5 hours ago
    One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

    The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton's approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance.

    Regards.

    28 Go to comments
    J
    Jennifer Ross 5 hours ago
    One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

    The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton’s approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance,

     Email : wizardhiltoncybertech ( @ ) gmail (. ) com  OR  support ( @ ) wizardhiltoncybertech (.) com

    WhatsApp number +13024457895

    28 Go to comments
    TRENDING
    TRENDING All Blacks Sevens fall to rivals Blitzboks in SVNS Vancouver thriller All Blacks Sevens fall to rivals Blitzboks in SVNS Vancouver thriller
    Search