Lessons must be learned in Joseph Manu’s cross-code transition: Liam Napier

Joseph Manu of the Kiwis runs with the ball during the 2023 Pacific Championships rugby league match between Australia and New Zealand at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Saturday, October 28, 2023. (AAP Image/Rob Prezioso/ www.photosport.nz

OPINION

Ian Foster and Steve Hansen need not scour the depths of their playbooks for lessons to guide Joseph Manu’s imminent cross-code transition from the NRL to rugby union.

Much of the what-not-to-do blueprint can be sourced from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s two-year stint in union before he reverted home to the Warriors this season.

The parallels between Tuivasa-Sheck and Manu are clear. Both played fullback for the Roosters and Kiwis. Both signed two-year deals with their union clubs – Tuivasa-Sheck with the Blues, Manu with Toyota in Japan. Both made the switch at a similar stage, too. Tuivasa-Sheck was 28. Manu is 27.

The overriding lesson is Tuivasa-Sheck’s time in union was not helped by being thrust straight into the midfield.

On the face of it the reasoning was sound enough. At the elite level there was a belief Tuivasa-Sheck did not possess the top end pace to command a place on the wing. And while New Zealand rugby generally produces an endless supply of compelling finishers, depth in the midfield, particularly at second five-eighth, was problematic prior to Jordie Barrett’s move there.

Asking Tuivasa-Sheck, one of the best steppers in the NRL, someone who thrives in space, from broken play and coming off the back fence, to transition from the freedom of a league fullback to the congested union midfield never suited his instinctive strengths, though.

That decision was made with the All Blacks’ best interests in mind – not Tuivasa-Sheck’s.

Sure, Tuivasa-Sheck enjoyed fleeting moments for the Blues from second-five yet, throughout his time in union, the message was loud and clear that patience was needed.

By the mid-point of his second Super Rugby season, though, after announcing he was returning to the Warriors, the Blues lost patience and were no longer interested in Tuivasa-Sheck’s development. From then on, he wasn’t required even on the Blues bench.

Yet in his final NPC campaign with Auckland, when he played fullback, albeit at a lower level, Tuivasa-Sheck showcased his potent attacking threats in space to offer a glimpse of what might have been, had he not been confined to the midfield.

Tuivasa-Sheck’s league to union transition should have started on the wing. That’s where Manu should begin his initial switch, too.

Wing is the safest, easiest, place to adjust to the nuances of the breakdown, positional and defensive play.

Tuivasa-Sheck, during his Otahuhu College days, had a background in union yet his struggles to grasp the all-encompassing midfield duties underlines the positional challenges.

Manu could, eventually, move into the midfield. He’s shone at fullback, centre, standoff in league and has all the physical attributes to find a home in the midfield. Trowing him into 12 or 13 at Toyota straight off the bat is not in his best interests, though. He will inevitably need time to find his feet in union.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck struggled to replicate his rugby league success in union. Photo / Photosport

While union and league share similarities in the contact department, their differences are also stark. Hence why no cross-code convert is ever an overnight success.

Take the fullback position. Compare the respective roles in league and union and they are poles apart. In a union context, asking Manu to slot into fullback would require him to instantly develop a long tactical kicking game.

In any cross-code switch, getting the position right is crucial to building confidence.

Benji Marshall’s ill-fated stint at the Blues is another example.

Marshall’s brief transition to union should have come exclusively at fullback. Expecting him to assume responsibility for directing a team in a new code from first-five set him up for failure. Some 212 minutes into a two-year contract, Marshall returned to league a broken man.

Hansen has compared Manu to Sonny Bill Williams, arguably the best cross-code athlete of all time.

From a pure athletic, ball in one hand, perspective the association is fair but everyone seems to forget Williams needed the best part of five years to feel comfortable and produce the form that cemented his presence as a genuine international second-five.

After featuring for Toulon, Canterbury and the Crusaders, only when he joined the Chiefs, and linked with Wayne Smith to claim successive Super Rugby titles, did Williams truly come of age in union.

This is why talk of Manu becoming future All Black is decidedly premature – not least because he would need to first sign for a New Zealand Super Rugby team to be eligible.

At this point, influential Roosters chairman Nick Politis is just as likely to lure Manu back in two years.

Starting his transition in Japan is ideal, though. The level of rugby is a step down from New Zealand Super Rugby teams, and Manu’s sizable frame will savour a natural competitive advantage over many of his opponents.

Out of the traditional oval ball spotlight in New Zealand and Australia, Manu can make mistakes and progress without the constant pressure other cross-code athletes endure – all the while earning $1 million per season.

Money aside, if Manu is serious about carving a successful union career Tuivasa-Sheck tells us his transition should start on wing while Williams’ experience points to tempering expectations.

The reality is Manu’s two-year contract will scratch the surface of his potential.

Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.