You might not have seen him in action yet, but there is a Wests Rugby junior catching everyone’s attention for all the right reasons after an incredible season.
Taniela Mapapalangi blew the competition away in 2019, scoring 48 tries in just 14 matches to claim the title of leading try scorer in the U9 division.
The young back was also so consistent with his scoring that he only failed to cross the line in two games all season. It’s not his first year playing rugby, but team manager Cait Amosa says this year he has elevated his game to the next level.
“Although the backs in our team are not assigned positions until Under-10s, Taniela is probably best suited to play as either a ball-running five-eighth or an inside center, running sharp lines off his playmakers,” Amosa explained of the youngster.
“Taniela’s unmatched pace allows him to run rings around his opponents, and when he finds his try-scoring form he is nigh impossible to stop.”
Just ask the Royals U9 team or the Vikings U9 Red; he scored six and then seven tries against those teams respectively when he faced them in Round 6 and Round 13.
“Taniela was a pleasure for his teammates to play with and he is really enjoying his junior rugby,” Amosa commented.
Judging by his try scoring ability, if the young gun develops his game, we could very well one day be seeing him playing for the Brumbies and maybe one day the Wallabies.
