Cardiff, Wales: Waisake Naholo needed just 72 seconds to show why New Zealand was prepared to gamble on his fitness ahead the Rugby World Cup.
Playing his first game in two months since breaking his right leg on debut for the All Blacks, Waisake scored a try with his first touch of the ball against Georgia on Friday.
And what a try it was.
Taking a pass from Dan Carter on New Zealand’s 10-meter line, Naholo arced round one flailing Georgia defender, sped between two more, and strolled over behind the posts.
“First touch - wasn’t too bad, was it?” New Zealand coach Steve Hansen said. “He’s pretty happy with that.”
The Fiji-born Naholo is the latest superstar winger off the New Zealand production line. He was the top try-scorer in Super Rugby this year, for the Highlanders, and made his All Blacks debut during the Rugby Championship amid much anticipation. However, he sustained a hairline fracture to his right fibula 50 minutes into that match against Argentina, throwing his World Cup ambitions into doubt.
Treatment for the injury included a visit to Fiji to receive traditional healing from his uncle - including leaves on the leg - and New Zealand selectors stuck with Naholo, picking him in the World Cup squad despite knowing he wouldn’t be fit for the first two games.
Naholo earlier predicted he’d be nervous before his second test, but his stunning start would have calmed him down.
He knocked on twice in the first half as he came inside, looking for the carries around the ruck, and was twice bundled into touch early in the second half about five meters from the line.
Naholo was replaced after 50 minutes and appeared to be limping, although Hansen played down any injury concerns.
“I think he just picked up a limp with his broken leg,” Hansen said, jokingly. “He wasn’t limping when he scored his try.”
“He’s fine,” Hanson added. “Apart from his lungs that are a bit sore because he hasn’t played for a while. It was always the intention to take him off the time he was taken off.”
Hansen now has a selection quandary with the three wingers in his squad. And a nice one at that. Julian Savea scored a hat trick of tries in the 43-10 win against Georgia and has now crossed five times in his last two matches, taking his overall tally to 35 tries in 38 Tests.
Like Naholo, Nehe Milner-Skudder is another relative newcomer to the All Blacks team but has already scored four tries in four Tests. And now Naholo is back, and is likely to get more game time against Tonga in New Zealand’s last Pool C match with qualification for the quarterfinals assured.
“Getting an opportunity and taking it and getting some good game time in a physical game, it was good for him,” Hansen said.
“If he was a racehorse, you’d say he would be a lot better for that.”
