Rugby Bledisloe Cup: Ian Foster greets All Blacks’ forgotten rookie Tupou Vaa’i after Wallabies win

Ian Foster has highlighted the ‘equally impressive’ performance of young lock Tupou Vaa’i after the All Blacks’ dominant 27-7 win over the Wallabies in Bledisloe II, a player he says will probably not receive the same attention. As rookie winger Caleb Clarke, but deserves the same applause.

Clarke has earned well-deserved media and fan attention thanks to a sensational performance against the Australians on Sunday, including a near-unstoppable run just after halftime that led to an Ardie Savea try.

The 21-year-old winger has quickly been compared to All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu for his powerful runs down the left flank.

But Foster also took note of the performance of Clarke’s rookie teammate Vaa’i, who also impressed in his first All Blacks start in the second row.

“You look at Tupou and it’s exactly the same boat,” Foster said of the 20-year-old lock. “He didn’t do the big 70-meter runs and he probably won’t get the same headlines, but I thought he was just as impressive for a young person.”

Vaa’i took the starting position alongside Patrick Tuipulotu in the second row with Sam Whitelock suffering a head injury and took the number 5 jersey his own.

His strong carries and safety below the lineout will assuage anxieties about the All Blacks’ alleged blocking actions, while Scott Barrett’s return to fitness will also add new firepower and experience to that department.

Foster said he was impressed with the maturity of his two young All Blacks starters and reiterated the “solid” nature of Clarke, who has grown from a young talent to a global sensation in one game.

“His expectations are set by himself, his family, and I guess we are in our environment. It’s okay,” Foster said of Clarke and the Lomu comparisons. “What the world wants to say is their business. I’m really sure it’s punished.

“He’s got a lot of self-confidence and self-awareness. Who knows, it’s a fickle world – you get headlines one day and you get knocked down the next. You just have to enjoy what you do and keep growing. He’s completely rooted in that area.

“There are many people who have put a lot of effort into educating him well. It is a merit for them. But he will have challenges like all players.”

Foster said that as long as the young players on the team hold their ground, they can take on any inevitable challenges that may arise.

“Part of our job is to let people know the important things to value and what not.”

The All Blacks will fly to Sydney on Sunday for the start of the Rugby Championship without Springboks, where they will prepare for their next clash against the Wallabies on October 31.