‘Small-minded’ All Blacks great ‘not convinced’ by Wallace Sititi in shock verdict
All Blacks back-rower Wallace Sititi and New Zealand great Murray Mexted.
For many, Wallace Sititi’s emergence onto the international scene was the All Blacks’ main positive in 2024, but it was not enough to convince Murray Mexted.
The back-rower was handed an opportunity midway through the 2024 Rugby Championship and duly nailed down the blindside shirt for the rest of the year.
Sititi was also rewarded for his performances by being named World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, fending off rising stars from South Africa, England and Ireland in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Jamie Osborne respectively.
Sititi to return from injury against Argentina
The 22-year-old has endured an injury-hit 2025 so far but he is set to make his return in the All Blacks’ clash against Argentina this weekend.
Most feel that he is Scott Robertson’s long-term number eight, but Mexted is not currently among that group of people.
The New Zealand great has yet to be sold on the explosive loose forward, saying on DSPN with Martin Devlin: “I’m not 100 per cent convinced about Sititi yet and I suppose I’m being small-minded here, but he hasn’t quite convinced me.”
Sititi has regularly been a surprise omission when the former number eight has been discussing the All Blacks’ starting loose trio, but he is willing to be proved wrong.
“I looked up his stats and I couldn’t believe the tackle count so I’m so encouraged,” he said. “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 said.
“If you want to know whether someone’s doing something, you can just watch that person, but you can’t do that on TV because the director is calling 12 different cameras and they’re deciding what we’re allowed to see.”
Ultimately, the most important opinion is that of the head coach as he picks the team and Robertson looks set to name him in his 23.
The All Blacks boss used the term “managed minutes” in reference to Sititi, suggesting that he will definitely get time on the field but not go the full 80.
‘Grab it by the balls and have a go’
“Razor’s up front, that’s why I like him, he’s not playing any games. He’s pretty clear when he’s saying something so ‘managed minutes’ to me, I get the point, the only thing I don’t quite know is whether that means he starts or he comes on,” Mexted said.
“My view on this is possibly premature but sometimes you’ve got to grab it by the balls and have a bloody go, and [Simon] Parker’s sitting there and this might be the ideal time, if Sititi’s sitting on the bench, to throw him in and see what happens.
“If he comes through the first 20 minutes, he might stay on for half a game and then Sititi might come in – that’s the sort of thing ‘managed minutes’ means – but he may be thinking the other way. Let’s see Sititi [from the start], let’s see how he goes, let’s see how the games goes, we know he’s a good footballer and is really good with ball in hand.”
