Rugby: Sasa Tofilau's kicking game will come

Sasa Tofilau in action during a defensive drill at the Magpies' training session last night. Photo / Duncan Brown

New Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby team second five-eighth Sasa Tofilau knows his kicking game needs to improve.

"I'm from a league background so have never kicked much and have only played union for a couple of years. But it will come. Look at Ma'a Nonu and Malakai Fekitoa ... they didn't learn to kick until early in their professional careers," Tofilau said last night.

"There's always room for improvement and that's the mentality I'm adopting here in the Bay," Tofilau said.

While his kicking game is still in the development phase nobody can question the intensity of the William Colenso College teacher aide's hunger for a Mitre 10 Cup contract. Tofilau will have an ideal opportunity to prove he is ready when the Magpies take on the Manawatu Evergreens in their third pre-season outing of the season in Palmerston North tomorrow night.

Should Tofilau, 24, earn a contract it will be another exciting chapter for the well-travelled Samoan who arrived in New Zealand with his family in 1999. He was in his first year at Kelston Boys' High School in Auckland when he won a scholarship with the Brisbane Broncos NRL club.

While with the Broncos Tofilau attended Wavell State High School which is Brisbane's best rugby league school and boasts Kangaroos and Queensland legend Greg Inglis as one of its most famous old boys. When he switched to union he was selected for the Australia under-20 rugby team for the 2014 World Championship in New Zealand but had to withdraw with an injury.

A former Chiefs Development squad member, Tofilau opted for a stint in Scotland in 2015.

"I wanted to refresh my rugby career. While playing for Kirkcaldy in the division two comp I got scouted for Edinburgh. A highlight during my time there was scoring the match-winning try when we won the Melrose Sevens in 2016," he recalled.

Former Magpies captain Mike Coman was Tofilau's captain during his first season with Edinburgh. Last year Tofilau played for French second-tier side RCME.

"I was fortunate to have South African Alan Solomons as one of my coaches overseas. He is the best coach I have had and he is similar to Mark [Magpies coach Ozich] ... really honest.

"Like my partner and son I'm loving it here in the Bay. I know what the Magpies team means to everyone here ... I remember watching the Magpies during the ITM Cup days when they relished the underdogs tag and upset a lot of their more fancied rivals," Tofilau said.

"I'm really happy at the Clive club too. Because it is so family orientated I fitted in straight away. Everyone is playing well and we are all happy on the field."

Former New Zealand Secondary Schools hooker and Baby Blacks triallist Ben Power is likely to get time off the pine for the Magpies. The fifth-ranked hooker in Wellington, Power arrived in the Bay yesterday with the aim of securing a Mitre 10 Cup contract and will play for the Havelock North club.

Baby Blacks flanker Will Tremain is another expected to get minutes off the subs bench. Tremain is allowed to play tomorrow but fellow Baby Blacks loosie Devan Flanders has to wait until the weekend because he had a bigger workload for the fourth-placed New Zealand side at the World Championship in France.

Former Manawatu Turbos lock Tom Parsons will captain the Magpies against his former province. There will be plenty of interest in the progress of the former Hastings Boys' High School 1st XV halfback-first five-eighth combination of Folau Fakatava and Lincoln McClutchie in their first starting XV appearance together at this level.

The Magpies team is:
JJ Taulagi, Mitch Drew, Shae Tucker, Sasa Tofilau, Sebastian Visibia, Lincoln McClutchie, Folau Fakatava, Solomone Funaki, Chris Johnston, Hannon Brighouse, Lui Luamanu, Tom Parsons (captain), Joe Apikotoa, Jacob Devery, Jason Long (vice captain). Substitutes: Forwards, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Mark Braidwood, Ben Power, Sam Ulufonua, Ricky Hayes, Tyler Symone-Bourke, Will Tremain. Backs, Ellery Wilson, Tianua Poto, Pasqualle Dunn, Lewis Marshall, Danny Toala.