Despite Wallace Sititi's standout 2024 season with the All Blacks and being crowned World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, New Zealand rugby legend Murray Mexted remains unconvinced. Sititi, who shone in the blindside position during the Rugby Championship, has faced skepticism from Mexted, who openly admitted his reservations on DSPN with Martin Devlin.
"I'm not 100 percent convinced about Sititi yet and I suppose I'm being small-minded here, but he hasn’t quite convinced me," Mexted confessed. His reluctance to fully endorse Sititi contrasts sharply with most opinions, considering Sititi's rapid rise and subsequent accolades. Despite this, Mexted acknowledged the potential to change his stance, spurred by Sititi's impressive statistics.
"I looked up his stats and I couldn’t believe the tackle count so I’m so encouraged,"
Mexted explained the difficulty of judging a player like Sititi solely by television broadcasts, which can limit viewer perspective. "When you watch on the TV, it’s not like being at the game where you can see where people are and what they’re actually doing," he noted, highlighting the inherent challenges of remote sports analysis.
With Sititi gearing up to return from an injury-laden 2025 against Argentina, All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has hinted at a cautious approach. Robertson's strategy of "managed minutes" suggests Sititi will play, but not for the entire game. Mexted, parsing Robertson's comments, speculated on the possible deployment of Sititi.
"My view on this is possibly premature but sometimes you've got to grab it by the balls and have a bloody go,"
Mexted mused about the potential for Sititi to either start or come off the bench, depending on how the game unfolds. This approach reflects the dynamic nature of rugby strategy, where game-time decisions can pivot on player performance and game flow.
As Sititi prepares to prove his mettle once more, the rugby world will be watching closely to see if he can sway Mexted's opinion and solidify his place in the All Blacks' lore. Meanwhile, Robertson remains poised to make the tough calls necessary to keep New Zealand competitive on the international stage.
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Despite Wallace Sititi's standout 2024 season with the All Blacks and being crowned World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, New Zealand rugby legend Murray Mexted remains unconvinced. Sititi, who shone in the blindside position during the Rugby Championship, has faced skepticism from Mexted, who openly admitted his reservations on DSPN with Martin Devlin.
"I'm not 100 percent convinced about Sititi yet and I suppose I'm being small-minded here, but he hasn’t quite convinced me," Mexted confessed. His reluctance to fully endorse Sititi contrasts sharply with most opinions, considering Sititi's rapid rise and subsequent accolades. Despite this, Mexted acknowledged the potential to change his stance, spurred by Sititi's impressive statistics.
"I looked up his stats and I couldn’t believe the tackle count so I’m so encouraged,"
Mexted explained the difficulty of judging a player like Sititi solely by television broadcasts, which can limit viewer perspective. "When you watch on the TV, it’s not like being at the game where you can see where people are and what they’re actually doing," he noted, highlighting the inherent challenges of remote sports analysis.
With Sititi gearing up to return from an injury-laden 2025 against Argentina, All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has hinted at a cautious approach. Robertson's strategy of "managed minutes" suggests Sititi will play, but not for the entire game. Mexted, parsing Robertson's comments, speculated on the possible deployment of Sititi.
"My view on this is possibly premature but sometimes you've got to grab it by the balls and have a bloody go,"
Mexted mused about the potential for Sititi to either start or come off the bench, depending on how the game unfolds. This approach reflects the dynamic nature of rugby strategy, where game-time decisions can pivot on player performance and game flow.
As Sititi prepares to prove his mettle once more, the rugby world will be watching closely to see if he can sway Mexted's opinion and solidify his place in the All Blacks' lore. Meanwhile, Robertson remains poised to make the tough calls necessary to keep New Zealand competitive on the international stage.