Leicester Fainga’anuku is happy to simply be providing the Crusaders with his services.
Be that in the midfield, on the wing, in the loose forwards or on the bench, the 30-test All Black has no qualms with running out in whatever number the team needs him to.
“It’s sort ofgetting to a stage where, you never know, I could end up at halfback next week or something,” Fainga’anuku joked with Newstalk ZB’s Nick Bewley.
“But look, I think it’s the specialty [sic] about my role, you know, being able to be a player that can provide those services, whether it’s out in the wings or midfield or even in the forward pack there, it’s something I’ll definitely pride myself on and something I’ll keep crafting away at.
“It’s ... I guess a perk to have as a coaching staff and also as a team to have. And that’s the thing with footy, you never know who’ll go down in a game or during the week and to be able to have a player like myself be able to step up is definitely a benefit.”
Fainga’anuku will make his second start in the loose trio for tonight’s game against the Hurricanes, lining up at openside flanker in Wellington in a strong group – Ethan Blackadder returns on the blindside and Christian Lio-Willie is at the back of the scrum.
Leicester Fainga'anuku took a game-high 19 carries in the Crusaders' win over the New South Wales Waratahs. Photo / Getty Images
The microscopes are sure to focus on the battle of the loosies in the clash, with the Hurricanes boasting the formidable trio of Brayden Iose, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai wearing No 6, No 7 and No 8 respectively.
Crusaders coach Rob Penney indicated his desire to use Fainga’anuku as a hybrid option and had the 26-year-old move into No 8 mid-game earlier in the season, but last weekend’s win over the New South Wales Waratahs saw Fainga’anuku give the first account of his potential starting in the pack.
While it wasn’t a perfect outing, Fainga’anuku was among the best players on the field as he maintained a high workrate, which included a game-high 19 carries to go with a try and a handful of tackles.
“I think the first one is obviously trying not to stuff up both the lineouts and scrums,” he said of the lessons he took from his first start in the loose trio.
“I know how much our big boys pride themselves on that, so yeah, I think for me the whole week was just trying to nail that area in that role and the rest of it sort of flows. You know, you run with the ball, tackle, so everything’s sort of normal.
“Apart from the lineouts and scrums, was definitely something I had at the top of my head. Hopefully I did a good job.”
Fainga’anuku praised the knowledge of those around him as he continued to develop in the role, with Blackadder having spent time there, while Crusaders forwards coach Dan Perrin and assistant coach Matt Todd, who wore the No 7 jersey for both the Crusaders and All Blacks, were full of advice.
“You sort of just stick to trying to nail your role out on the training pitch and every now and then you’ll get a few golden nuggets thrown at you with a few [pieces of] feedback, which is awesome, you know, because it’s a role that I’m obviously learning as I go. But yeah, it’s something I enjoy and definitely love growing that part of my game.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
