Kiwi enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona has put his hand up to fulfil the role of Jahrome Hughes' 'bodyguard' and protect the star playmaker from Fiji's forward pack on Sunday.
After returning from a leg injury in a player-of-the-match performance against Ireland, Hughes will head into this weekend’s quarterfinal the hunted with Fiji forward Viliame Kikau set to mark up on the star halfback.
However, Hughes' Storm teammate Asofa-Solomona has warned the opposition will have to get past him first after his switch from the middle to an edge forward role last week against Ireland.
“Whether I’m in the middle, second row or coming off the bench…I’m just going to do my job the best I can,” Asofa-Solomona told the media ahead of the Kiwis' quarterfinal clash on Sunday.
“Obviously, I played with Jahrome at the Storm but whoever is there I like to make sure I protect them.
The unexpected lynchpin: Nelson Asofa-Solomona
“You’ve got to protect your halves so they can put a lot of energy into different parts of their game and I know that tens will always target halves, so I want to be that bodyguard for my half, whoever it is.
“I’m hoping Jahrome is there (halfback), I want to look after the little fella.”
Hughes scored a double and had a hand in three more of his side's tries against Ireland last week, prompting New Zealand coach Michael Maguire to label the Storm playmaker as one of the best in the competition.
Hughes stars for Kiwis
“Over the years, Jahrome has really developed in my eyes to probably one of the leading halves in the game,” Maguire told the media.
“There’s a number of other players that take the limelight at Melbourne but Jahrome is really good at directing the team around.
“The boys feel really confident with him and it really helps Dylan (Brown) and the rest of the spine because when they know Jahrome can take charge of the team, it allows them to focus on their roles.”
And while New Zealand’s forward pack has been the talking point of the competition, it is the Kiwi spine combination that could spearhead his side to a World Cup final.
“I think the bond and cohesion that those guys get is very important and we were able to achieve that last week,” Maguire said.
Maguire praises halves after Kiwis win
“I’m pretty fortunate that Brandon and Jahrome play (NRL) together and Dylan and Jahrome already connected in the mid-year Test.
“They’ve had a fair bit of time together but every day at training I can see they’re getting better and better with the way we want to play.
“Players at this level understand their role so each individual has just got to do that at their best. That’s what I’m asking from them as a coach.”
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