Sandon Smith and Mark Nawaqanitawase star as Roosters win 46-18 over Dragons in Anzac Day clash

If you want to know why the new Perth franchise should target rugby union as they look to piece together a squad for their inaugural season in the NRL, look no further than the bloke on the Roosters wing on Anzac Day.

If you want to know why the new Perth franchise should target rugby union as they look to piece together a squad for their inaugural season in the NRL, look no further than the bloke on the Sydney Roosters wing on Anzac Day.

Mark Nawaqanitawase had a field day as the Roosters ran riot at Allianz Stadium, romping to victory against the Dragons. The former Australian rugby union back ran for nearly 200 metres and helped himself to a try in his maiden Anzac Day appearance before a crowd of more than 41,000.

Nawaqanitawase was a constant handful as he continued his transition from rugby union, where he played for the Wallabies and represented Australia at the Paris Olympics.

The 24-year-old is only a handful of games into code swap yet he is fast becoming an important cog in the Roosters’ backline. So important, big-money import Dom Young finds himself in the NSW Cup.

Mark Nawaqanitawase has been studious for the Roosters. Picture: NRL Photos

The only people Young was avoiding on Friday night were the fans as he wove his way down Driver Ave after the Roosters win.

Maybe the idea of finding players in South Africa and Argentina, as has been proposed by the NRL as an answer to the issue of player depth with expansion on the horizon in Perth and Papua New Guinea, isn’t as weird as it seems.

The game needs to find at least another 60 players to fill those two teams. It is set to put immense stress on the existing clubs and rugby union shapes as a potential hunting ground for extra players. South Africa and Argentina have become fertile breeding grounds for the sort of athletes that the NRL craves.

Certainly Nawaqanitawase is making a good fist of life in the NRL and he believes the concept has some merit.

“I think South Africa are two-time World Cup winners and at the moment they have a tonne of prospects over there,” Nawaqanitawase said after the Roosters win.

“So I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up (looking there).”

The NRL aren’t the first to spruik the idea of chasing talent in South Africa. Newcastle recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan famously recruited a couple of young South African rugby union players more than a decade ago when he was at the Roosters.

JP du Plessis and Brian Skosana never played in the NRL, but they did take part in the club’s under 20s side in the 2010 season. After a short stint with the Roosters, both switched back to rugby union – du Plessis joined the Melbourne Rebels before returning to South Africa.

He had a strong game against the Dragons. Picture: NRL Photos

Skosana went straight back to South Africa and is still playing. Nawaqanitawase has already exceeded both those blokes after making his seventh appearance in the NRL on Anzac Day, having been given a taste of first grade last season.

He started this season in the centres but looks to have found a home on the wing. As well as running for nearly 200 metres, he also made two line breaks, had two offloads and three tackle breaks.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson likes what he sees from the 24-year-old.

“I though Mark adapted well,” Robinson said,

“Mark, there is a bit of busyness to his game. A lot of things happen when he is on the field. That keeps everyone on their toes. He is a dangerous player.”

Sounds like just what Perth and PNG need.

Unlikely hero steals the show as Roosters dominate Dragons

-Martin Gabor

Not even a stint in the sin bin could stop Sandon Smith from producing the best 70-minute performance of his career as the Roosters five-eighth inspired his side to a thumping victory over the Dragons to help them climb off the bottom of the table.

There have been some wonderful efforts by Roosters playmakers over the years on Anzac Day, and Smith added his name to the list with a personal haul of 22 points in the 46-18 demolition job at Allianz Stadium.

“His positioning was in the right spot, and you can see he has great vision,” Trent Robinson said.

“When he plays like that, he sees a lot. To handle 10 minutes (in the bin) and then come back on and continue that was really nice.”

It’s been a hot and cold start to the year for Smith who had never played in an Anzac game before, but he made up for lost time when he backed up a Daniel Tupou break to score in the second minute.

He added another five minutes before halftime when he swooped on a loose ball near halfway and sprinted past Clint Gutherson to cap a dominant first half where the hosts had five line-breaks to nil and enjoyed the bulk of possession.

He fell just short of Sam Walker’s 24-point haul from last year’s clash, but Smith showed off all the skills that we’re used to seeing from the injured halfback as he put in a gorgeous grubber for James Tedesco to score the first of his two tries.

It’s been a rough old year for the Roosters, but this could be the game that gets them going with a couple of key men still to come back in the next few weeks.

The Roosters were relentless. Picture: NRL Imagery

UNLUCKY 13

The Dragons had a bit of momentum to start the second half after Damien Cook made a big break through the middle, and the heaving crowd of 41,021 sensed a comeback when Smith was sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Lachlan Ilias.

But the numerical advantage wasn’t much help to the Dragons who made an error from the ensuing set, with the Roosters kicking further in front thanks to a penalty goal.

They then made it 8-0 during the sin bin period when Blake Steep ran 55 metres and fooled Gutherson with a dummy to Tedesco to score.

The Dragons did limit the damage when Kyle Flanagan backed up a Valentine Holmes break to score, but they were still down by 16 with 26 minutes to play.

This was a disappointing step back for a Dragons side that had looked so impressive in back-to-back wins, but they had no energy to do anything in attack after being forced to defend non-stop in the first half.

“I’m really disappointed, especially with where we’ve been the past couple of weeks,” Shane Flanagan said.

“The first half just cooked us.”

Sandon Smith runaway try

MARKY MARK IS A SWEET SENSATION

Dom Young has a fight on his hands to win back his wing spot after Mark Nawaqanitawase had a field day on the right edge in the first half.

With Billy Smith the preferred option at left centre, Nawaqanitawase was shifted to the wing in place of the towering Englishman who has had his defensive issues since joining the club.

The former Wallaby was outstanding on Friday afternoon, running for 159 metres and scoring a try in a dominant first half where he also made a 70-metre bust after a Sione Finau error.

Sandon Smith produced arguably the best performance of his career. Picture: NRL Imagery

Originally published as Sandon Smith and Mark Nawaqanitawase star as Roosters win 46-18 over Dragons in Anzac Day clash