Sivivatu sidesteps English media minefield

All Blacks rucking up in London

LAWRENCE SMITH/Fairfax Media

THE SCORE: It was Sitiveni Sivivatu 1, the English media nil as they tried to prize a story out of the All Blacks winger.

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Notoriously taciturn All Blacks wing Sitiveni Sivivatu survived his first big challenge of the week. It now remains to be seen if he copes with the on-field one with as much dexterity.

It's doubtful that Sivivatu will face a more heated inquisition from Ugo Monye, Matt Banahan, Mark Cueto and co at Twickenham this weekend than the one he received from local media in London on Monday as they pushed and prodded for a loose comment.

But they had no chance. They were up against the All Blacks' very best. A man who's tight, not bright, when it comes to the game before the game.

It was a classic matchup, England's finest probing for a New Zealand weakness -- any sign of looseness. And the 41-test wing keeping it disciplined, refusing to be drawn into their game of cat and mouse.

At the end it was very much Sivivati 1, the English media nil. Score one for the All Blacks in the ritual game of words that always takes place in the leadup to a Twickenham encounter.

Perhaps they had underestimated who they were up against. Failed to do their homework. For the 27-year-old Chiefs and Waikato wing has never been one to indulge in any unnecessary verbiage, no matter the occasion. Sivivatu is one of those players who prefers to do his talking on the field, and perhaps now the hopeful scribes, with their sharpened quills, will now realise this.

Here's how the exchange played out:

Reporter: Do you expect England to play much attacking rugby, because they haven't done much so far?

Sivivatu: "When they play us they're always up for the game. Jonny is back, so I  think he's a big lift to the team."

Reporter: Are England an easy team to defend against?

Sivivatu: "Not really... every team we come across are always hard and they love running with the ball."

Reporter:  "Do England pose less attacking threat than other sides?

Sivivatu: "I wouldn't say that. England are always a threat to us."

Reporter: Were you surprised by England's performances against Australia and Argentina which were not impressive?

Sivivatu: "I guess they're just like us, a lot of new players in the team. But I think they'll do well in 2011."

Reporter: You smashed England last time you were here. Do you expect a similar scoreline this year?

Sivivatu: "Not really. This a new year. We'll just have to work hard and try to have that performance we're looking for."

(Exasperated) reporter: When you look at these northern hemisphere tests, is it tougher now to play at Cardiff that at Twickenham?

Sivivatu: "It's always tough coming up here. Everybody is trying to beat us because we're from the southern hemisphere. We love running rugby but up here they love their forwards."

And that was pretty much that. There were a few other thoughts. He'd love the game to open up more, fast chase lines are making it difficult for wings fielding high kicks and, yes, he's being more careful now about his own mid-air challenges

But, really, whatever wild hopes the scribes had arrived with were dashed by another display of Sivivatu wizardry.

It's funny how by uttering so little, you can say so much.

- © Fairfax NZ News