Brutal mismatch leaves Tuilagi crushing New Zealand player 50kg lighter than him
New Zealand U20 centre Aki Tuivailala’s eyes must have lit up when he thought he had spotted a gap on the fringes of France U20’s defence last Thursday in the World Rugby U20 Championship. The 18-year-old did everything right – he timed his run well and he hit the line at pace – but it is funny how quickly those gaps can be closed by 149kg second-rows.
That 149kg second-row was man of the moment Posolo Tuilagi, the much discussed 18-year-old that makes his father, Henry Tuilagi, look small, which is no mean feat.
Just as Tuivailala was about to breach the French defensive line, Tuilagi leapt to extinguish any such hopes and completely marmalise him, to use the technical term.
It was a brutal collision by a player over 50kg heavier than the 98kg centre. Then again, 98kg is not exactly light, particularly for a back, but such is the case with Tuilagi playing against U20s (and indeed grown men), most tackles are going to be a mismatch.
This tackle more or less summed up the physical supremacy that France had over New Zealand in this match, as they bullied their way to a 35-14 win. The score was 28-0 to France at the time, so the Baby Blacks did well to fight their way back into the game, but not enough.
England U20 now have the daunting task of facing France in the semi-final this weekend, who will face the winner of hosts South Africa U20 and Ireland U20 in the final.
Take a look at the tackle:
