Reds young gun Chris Feauai-Sautia faced with daunting challenge to stop Julian Savea

STOPPING a Julian Savea stampede in Wellington is the Reds’ biggest challenge since they failed miserably at muzzling Israel Folau.

Julian Savea makes a charge for the Hurricanes.

STOPPING a Julian Savea stampede in Wellington is the Reds’ biggest challenge since they failed miserably at muzzling Israel Folau.

No one shuts down the 105kg All Blacks winger but limiting the damage he causes is the daunting task falling to Reds young gun Chris Feauai-Sautia.

It is a collision of Samoan power that will rock Wellington’s Westpac Stadium when these two human locomotives run on the same track.

Savea’s lust for work in his current form is immense. He grabbed the ball for 16 carries against the Blues last weekend.

Being such a roaming menace is the calling card of the player who has broken more tackles (31) in Super Rugby this season than any other player.

Julian Savea makes a charge for the Hurricanes.

He bobs up one pass off the halfback at scrum time, he is a missile in the midfield on set plays and he smashes defenders as a sideline finisher.

The way he dropped his right shoulder and hip to bump through Crusader Israel Dagg for a classic try last year is a taste of what the Reds must deal with. Feauai-Sautia is far more comfortable defending in his favourite position of outside centre and his defence as a winger was exposed in his last start by Brumby Joe Tomane.

“Chris got caught on the Tomane try but defence is something he’s really worked on since with specific training situations,” Reds coach Richard Graham said.

“He’s made adjustments. If there is one bloke looking forward to marking Savea at the top of his game, it’s Chris.”

Savea’s strike rate of 19 tries in 20 Tests even shades Folau’s 10 in 15 Tests, which shows why he is his only peer as an irresistible force in Super Rugby.

Reds winger Chris Feauai-Sautia faces a tough task stopping Julian Savea.

Halfback Will Genia agrees the Reds have to be far smarter than when they stupidly kicked into Folau’s bucket hands whn they played NSW.

“We learnt a lesson there,’’ Genia said.

“Like Izzy, Savea is exceptional so you don’t invite him into the game by playing towards him.

“We’ve got to be smarter this time, which means kicking more effectively, applying more pressure so we don’t give him chances to beat opponents one-on-one and holding on to the ball more.’’

If the Reds are to reignite their season from 12th position they must dictate in the forwards as the best way to stall the hottest tryscoring team (26) in the competition.

Graham has made the first bold selection by dropping pacy Rod Davies to pick rookie Jamie-Jerry Taulagi, 20, on the other wing. Graham denied it was a direct response to the side’s poor finishing where Davies has lost the ball three times within 10m of the opposition try line.

He was being protective because that is exactly the message to the team: be more clinical with finishing or pay the price.