Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Qualified nurse and Super Rugby championship-winner Ioane Moananu has been named on the Waratahs bench for his NSW debut against the Fijian Drua on Friday.
The 25-year-old hooker is the Waratahs’ only change from last week’s win over the Reds. Wallabies utility back Andrew Kellaway was again overlooked.
Ioane Moananu playing for the Crusaders last year.Credit: Getty Images
Moananu was part of last year’s Super Rugby title-winning Crusaders squad. He was recommended to coach Dan McKellar by Wallabies five-eighth James O’Connor.
“I had a good chat with James O’Connor, it was probably back in April last year when he was at the Crusaders with Ioane,” McKellar said.
“Firstly, he spoke about him as a character: gregarious, much loved, really happy, very caring, always thinking about others. He’s a qualified nurse and a good human being.
“Then as a hooker, he used to play as a midfielder not that long ago. He’s got a really good skill set, he’s got good set-piece. He’s also physical … so he’s exciting to have come off the bench in that last 25-30 minutes.”
Moananu played 12 times for the Crusaders last season, scoring five tries, and replaces Folau Fainga’a who is suffering from concussion.
McKellar acknowledged Kellaway’s disappointment, with young fullback James Hendren retained after an impressive debut against the Reds.
“Kels’ training has been superb, we caught up again earlier in the week. He’s naturally disappointed, but how he’s handled it and carried himself and been a leader of the non-23 group has been exceptional,” McKellar said.
“We just thought he was a little bit underdone off the back of the spring tour and a very, very short holiday that he had. He had a little bit of a knee issue as well, so we just wanted to get that right and give him some time, so there’s good signs there.”
Although Friday’s opponents the Drua lost their first game 40-26 at home against Moana Pasifika, the Waratahs will need to improve their ability to capitalise on attacking opportunities.
“Rugby is a game where there’s a contest for position every time there’s a tackle,” McKellar said. “You’ve got a team of 15 who are trying to stop you from getting across the line. We need to be better and there’s no doubt, sometimes you’ve [also] got to acknowledge that good defence wins occasionally.”
