Hugely-talented England newbie determined to ‘step up’ at Test level and provide ‘triple threat’ game
Rekeiti Ma'asi-White has impressed for Sale Sharks this season.
Walking into the room, with a Cheshire grin, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White was calmness personified.
Having just completed a gruelling training session, talking to a young reporter desperate to find his way in the profession would not have been what he wanted on a Wednesday afternoon.
Right from the off, he helped ease me into my task, and the conversation soon began to flow.
However, his humility was evident as he seemed more interested in learning more about my escapades as a teacher in the Middle East rather than talking about himself.
Six months later from this conversation, I witnessed the young centre in an open training session.
Big shoes to fill
The session took place prior to a group of journalists gathering in a circle with Manu Tuilagi ahead of his move to the Top 14.
Yet, in my head, I wanted to see Ma’asi-White show exactly why he was being touted to be the next England star and show up the departing Tuilagi.
My wish did not come to pass, as the young centre dropped the first pass he received, giving me the impression that he is a confidence player, as he struggled for the rest of the session.
Fast forward a year.
The beaming smile was back on the face of the 22-year-old as the camera focused on him as he lay on the ball, having crossed the try line to score against Bristol Bears.
Later that week the smile was on full display once again while Ma’asi-White was training with England ahead of the international summer tour of Argentina.
While he will be focused on his club objectives and lifting the Premiership, he will know achieving this will help his England ambitions.
18 months ago, he said: “Everyone’s ambition is to play for England. You always dream when you are older that you want to play for your country, but I want to step up and do it ASAP because it is a short career. I want to get there now. I want to show what I can do out there.”
Now, he is closer than ever to achieving this goal.
At the start of this season, not many will have foreseen his rapid progression to become this vital cog in the heart of midfield for Sale.
The club had signed Fijian captain Waisea Nayacalevu and former Ireland international Will Addison as cover for the absence created by Tuilagi.
It was perceived Ma’asi-White would see an increase in his game time but still deputise for both experienced signings and take learnings from them.
While Addison and Nayacalevu would see a lot of early-season minutes, slowly the presence of the 22-year-old would increase.
Nayacalevu’s departure to the Ospreys in the middle of the season opened the door for Sale’s prodigy to seize the starting jersey.
That he has.
Director of rugby Alex Sanderson loved what Tuilagi brought to his Sale side; his pace and power to break the line to create disruption were so important to his attacking plan.
Ma’asi-White has those qualities, but he adds his own little unique twist, which has helped him score a try in each of his last three Premiership fixtures.
He said: “That is my game, an offload game.
“I’ve played on the wing before, so it would be great to learn from here too to be that triple threat. To have that pass, carry, and kick. To be unpredictable.”
The 22-year-old has been incredibly important defensively for Sale, having a 78% success rate when attempting tackles, with six dominant tackles across his six Premiership fixtures.
Sanderson likes to play Rob du Preez alongside the young centre in the midfield of Sale, another experienced player for Ma’asi-White to learn from, not just in terms of skills but from his fighting spirit.
The Sale boss has created a family-like atmosphere around the club, something you feel as soon as you walk through the doors at Carrington.
Wasps departure
Something that has helped the former England U20s star fit right in straightaway after his move to the club from Wasps after they disbanded in 2022.
While it took him some time to find his feet for Sale in a playing capacity.
He has repaid the faith Sanderson had in him from the start, demonstrating exactly why there were whispers saying he would be a future England international.
The 22-year-old has just started and will be a mainstay in the Sale and England squads for many seasons to come, going off his breakthrough season this campaign.
Ma’asi-White may be humble, but he is a very driven and ambitious athlete.
So, he will not be satisfied with simply becoming an England international or a Sale regular; he will now be looking to play a key role in winning silverware.
First on his list would be helping Sale lift their second Premiership title, something they have been aiming to do since their maiden victory in 2006.