Sione Lauaki: the worst performance in an All Blacks shirt?

All Blacks number 8 Sione Lauaki comes onto the field as a substitute on 48 minutes against Australia in the 2008 Tri Nations with New Zealand 19-17 in the lead, and has a simply shocking match which must rank as among the worst by a player in the famous All Black shirt.
0:00 - Lauaki allows Rocky Elsom to run straight past him and waddles to try and catch him.
0:07 - Lauaki fumbles the ball in contact, handling error #1.
0:19 - Lauaki again fumbles the ball, handling error #2.
0:26 - ... And another time, handling error #3. Now the commentators start noticing.
0:42 - Lauaki fumbles at the back of the scrum and is turned over and Australia score a drop goal, handling error #4.
1:04 - Lauaki drops a routine high ball catch, handling error #5. The commentators think "it will be a while before he gets an All Black test again".
1:21 - Lauaki flops on the ball and concedes a free kick (which at the time ELV's meant that some penalties were free kicks) and the Australian commentators suggest that New Zealand "find some blood on him and get him off".
1:41 - Lauaki misses a tackle on James Horwill who scores from close range.
1:53 - Lauaki is turned over after a ball carry.
2:01 - Lauaki has the ball ripped off him. The seventh time the All Blacks lose possession after he carries.
In total in his 32 minutes on the field, Lauaki lost possession after 7 carries, conceded a free kick and missed two tackles which resulted in tries.
After this performance the All Blacks coach Graham Henry said that Lauaki would be "pretty disappointed with the way he's played". The performance ranked in NZ Rugby World's top 10 worst international performances.
Lauaki played one more match for the All Blacks later that year against Samoa, and fell out of favour after that.

[@dimann1090]

Good player, just a really bad day for him

[@mazzurino]

True, it was just a bad day

[@drServitis]

HE WAS DRUNK

[@filipoauvaa7258]

So sad to hear of his passing at so young an age. He was a big mutha who fumbled here , and everyone has a bad day at the office, but when he was on his game, boy, he was nigh unstoppable! He was one of those big impact players you enjoyed watching. For the Chiefs, for the short lived Pacific Island team, and for the All Blacks, Sione was a real bulldozer who fully utilized his bulk to make ground, and had deft passing skills. It's due to that Polynesian surliness his career was cut short, and then again for health reasons. Like Lomu, gone too soon. Will be missed. An ex-All Black and an ex-Springbok gone in one week.

[@VicVegas100]

He had a bad game, otherwise a damaging ball runner and formidable defender. Australian commentary is bias and fkn disrespectful.

[@Tomdomification]

How was it biased? That was a bad performance. Any All Black or Wallaby fan would admit that. LOL.

[@1969cmp]

Vic Vegas The commentary is what js happening in that game. He fumbled like Colin Farrell and he ran as slow as my grandmother in her 70's. Painfully slow.

[@yaaseenparker7828]

Vic Vegas it was a bad game and his a good player no doubt, but its just a bit of laugh wouldn't want to be all doom and gloom on the couch while watching the rugby

[@infernogamers168]

He was terrible Commentary making it fun rather than awkward

[@hannotn]

Lauaki was an immensely powerful runner with the ball, but other than that he didn't have a shitload to offer. He always seemed like he'd probably be a lazy trainer, given he always looked on the brink of being fat (and I don't mean just heavy set, he always seemed like he was carrying more weight than he should be). But hey, he got a better pay packet than he would have as a trolley boy at Pak n Save, so that helped to pay his legal fees for his assault cases. Oh, and it's a verb in the past tense, so it should be "biased".

[@xeftones]

R.I.P

[@137627947]

Lauaki was a great player to get in this side.Everyone has bad days. Sione still a awsome player.

[@CaffeineJunki]

i agree mate...every one has bad days...bt that doesnt mean u cn call them one of the worst players ryt?

[@MobKnowledge]

I'm a Kiwi but I thought the commentators were hilarious!

[@stoprainingonme]

+MobKnowledge Also a kiwi, and I loved the relish with which the Australian commentators were enjoying Lauaki's performance.

[@AK-wc9rl]

I was living in Australia at the time and in the post match analysis, the Aussie commentators were raving on about how good they were. This was of course their first Bledisloe match with Deans in charge, and the commentators, especially Marto was wanking on about how he can't see the ABs getting close to them for a long, long time.... Fast forward a week in the return match at Eden Park, Richie McCaw comes back and the ABs demolish them by 30., and have had a 90% winning percentage against the wobs since... How sweet it's been.

[@AppAssessor]

Sione Lauaki...the greatest wallaby Australia never had.

[@samuelmathew5601]

too far (hahahaha)

[@VicVegas100]

Fkn aye bro. These Aussies so disrespectful!

[@mizofan]

Sad to see; I never imagined an All Black could have such a poor game,, since it takes quality to make the team, but the commentators' ridiculing was uncalled for

[@wattienz]

+mizofan Come on mate. They're Australian. Its the norm. Greg Martin and Phil Kearns are the masters at that

[@1969cmp]

wattienz They spoke about what they saw. A messy fumbler and as slow as I have ever seen an 'athlete'.

[@mizofan]

@@wattienz I'm Welsh, and the commentator i most admire in any sport was the Scottish Billl Mclaren, never petty, always fair., he loved the sport. The Welsh admiration for the ABs runs very deep (probably too deep for our own good). Oh there was an excellent Australian cricket commentator, Richie Benaud, he said what he thoiught of the infamous underarm incident.

[@123LDJ123]

The commentators were very disrespectful! He had a bad game, he already felt terrible during the game over it and he also lost the chance to represent the All Blacks and probably got a lot abuse off the pitch for it he didn't need to two guys mocking on live TV.

[@iancurtis1152]

I guess you have to understand the history of Trans Tasman rugby to realise that Aussie commentators don't (and haven't) over the years have had very much to crow about and when they do they just go to town on it because they know it's short lived and back to "normal programming" very soon after. I feel sorry for them NOT!! Ha Ha.

[@cocricklewood4441]

Luke Johnson all together now? Ahhhhhh 😢😢😢😢

[@camcam1577]

How good was it though. I remember watching this game as a young bloke and cheering every time they passed the ball to him. On a serious note though, I feel like he was intoxicated, which is a damn shame. He must have been dealing with a fair bit in his head. Very sad. RIP

[@tomneale3925]

Ive seen worse over the years.....he had a shocker this game........but hes still was a really good player, one of the most damaging ball running loose forwards in NZ rugby in the 2000's. And the times I met him he was always polite, and always remembered you, remember playing touch with him, sosene, and sivi at the waikato uni fields with all the island boys. Still remember him fending off big props and sending em flying backwards with hand offs.ditto maccaw.

[@epatongan]

Maybe his worse game but lets not judge off of one bad game. Let’s look at the fact he scored three straight weeks against Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa by that order. No man will achieve that feat EVER.

[@russoswerve7856]

One of the few players to play for and against the All Blacks in a test match. That’s a more impressive feat

[@dicessdontbenosey438]

Rest in Peace and Love in the Kingdom of Heaven Sione Lauaki ❤😢

[@christophergreenland4121]

Who was that? Ali Williams! He will be disappointed he went up too fast, AND LAUAKI!!!!!

[@Tehui1974]

The All Blacks and Luaki won the Bledisloe Cup that year.

[@STACCS99]

R.I.P Sione Lauaki

[@PasqualeTweeddale]

poor lad passed away in Feb '17. RIP fella

[@Youre]

Poor guy. Some of those were pretty rough.

[@Fillerzine]

He was brutal that day, no doubt. But it's also fair that Sione also had one of the very best-ever Test Match performances _AGAINST_ the All Blacks when he represented Pacific Islanders (July 10, 2004). AB loose trip that day was Jono Gibbes, Marty Holah, Xavier Rush. On the strength of that match alone AB selectors must have drooled at the prospect of the damage he could have done in black. He never really lived up to it. But on that day, against the All Blacks, he was on fire, totally destructive and damn near-impossible to stop. stats.allblacks.com/asp/teamsheet.asp?MT_ID=2105

[@rabbitss11]

clearly lost his nerve, no one can truly know how a player will react in a live situation, it happens sometimes in all sports

[@markriley879]

on ya cobber

[@jahmon7117]

rabbitss11 casillas vs netherlands

[@EllliotJackRussel1]

love the Aussie commentary lol

[@kyleleake7062]

Big boy

[@sombodyoncetoldmetheworldis]

They’re enjoying this too much lol

[@xel5891]

Dam, very shocked to find out that he passed away only a month ago. Such a shamed.

[@JEZZAL303]

I'm Australian and love the Wallabies but I do feel sorry for this bloke.

[@Lyricistnz]

For a wrecking ball of a human he had a shocker this day. His skills let him down this day.

[@Idkidk55957]

Rest in peace Lauaki. This was just an off day for you.

[@akea82]

You could see the pain on his face, he was hurting. Shouldn’t judge a player by one poor performance. Matt giteau had a shocker in his wallabies debut

[@djdox_nz1178]

Everyone has their own opinion but my brother was never shit at rugby. When all of you have played for the all blacks let alone scored against them then hit me up. Other than that you can never say he was a bad rugby player. This world will always be full of haters but like my brother would always say “Over come troubles and struggles”... R.I.P Tupu 👊🏽👋🏽👊🏽👋🏽

[@polypridegaming]

Everyone has their bad days. Still the only man i know that put a clean hit on richie mccaw. RIP SIONE LAUAKI

[@kerryhanneman3333]

In February 2012 during routine tests, Lauaki was diagnosed with renal failure and cardiovascular problems...

[@charlieprior-mills7562]

He looks genuinely like he had a mild concussion.

[@sorenbreeneppler4060]

He probably is good but it's just the pressure that's getting to him because it does take class to play for New Zealand

[@jamesmoore9223]

Rip Sione. 😭 Everyone has there bad days x

[@raviprakash-ez4bb]

the commentary is to funny they are having a ball lol

[@TeifiValley123]

I think its the pressure of playing in that black jersey that cripples lots of these guys. Xavier Rush played here in Wales for the Cardiff Blues and was one of the best No8's in Europe from 2008-2010

[@R4sperdan]

i feel for the man tbh!

[@NZTrumpFan]

RIP. The big man had heaps of great games when he was alive but sadly this wasn't one of them

[@nicolatepatu7431]

Was this video made before he passed away? If not then this is pretty disrespectful. R.I.P big man

[@faatimahislander6089]

this guy was the man... dont remember him having this shocking a game in the black jersey, massive beast of a player... unlucky dox

[@tuhengailaoa1342]

wat year was this game?

[@MrRwarby]

That is why I didn't recognise his name. It's all history now and best be forgotten

[@acersteel3735]

The bad day at the office is all I can say. When motivated, fit and fired up Lauaki was a game breaker.

[@Aman-pl6om]

im an anti wallaby fan but I absolutely love the oz commentary whenever he made a mistake poor sione 😂

[@user-di4su6rl7s]

the pressure got to him!

[@tearuhapimarika759]

He was the most overrated ABs loose forward from that era, all he had was strong running and that all depended on if he caught the ball, he was lazy at rucks, had shit defense apart from the occasional big hit and had slow reactions. He was constantly put in the ABs over guys that were fitter, faster, stronger on defense and more reliable,guys like Marty Holah, Daniel Braid, Chris Masoe, Scott Waldrom, Thomas Waldrom, Mose Tui'ali'i, Tanerau Latimer, even Liam Messam and Jerome Kaino all fell victim to Graham Henry's blind favoritism of Sione Lauaki,

[@DezzaraeOBHAYVE201530]

Damn right bro! spot on. Absolutely shit in my opininion!

[@MobKnowledge]

They were looking for a Jerry Collins replacement after he left for Europe and thought Sione Lauaki was their man. Even to this day they try and fill that void with Butterfingers Messam. Remember Victor Vito got dropped last year because he wasn't the Collins-type player they wanted.

[@Lucifuriuz]

MobKnowledge Messam is pretty decent, but I think Kaino is the man for the job in terms of just all-round excellence.

[@MobKnowledge]

Lucifuriuz K Kaino is definitely more well-rounded and reliable than Messam. Messam's pretty one-dimensional. Good hitter and good runner when he manages to catch the ball, but Kaino's all those things, plus better ball skills, workrate, and consistency, Read, McCaw, and Cane are also better than Messam.

[@Lucifuriuz]

MobKnowledge Couldn't agree more, man.

[@lamatoks]

Don't call him da worse performance ever!!!

[@senem1769]

Just hurts watching it 🤕

[@cyaneyed7146]

Dude looks like he was worried he left the gas on at home

[@seravalotu4351]

a great ball carrier but had a shocker of a game, guess it really is 90% mentality 10% physicality. during this game he just got stuck in a rut, and the harder he tried to impact himself in the game, the more mistakes he made. just wasn't his day.

[@CCCSaxsonWarmonger]

idk alot of these handling errors were forced. i dont think they are a testament to his badness but australias goodness instead.

[@jamiegibson7319]

a simply damdable performance , shocking,

[@thomasbisset1136]

kearns was loving it. so glad when luaki finally got dropped for good. i could never accept his presence in an all black side. he had size and strength, but lacked skill, fitness and determination to the point that he was just a lazy blob unless he had the ball in his hand and he was running at the defence.

[@alexpalmer4825]

Good player but awful game, unfortunately passed away this year. RIP mate

[@Vanu7]

Don’t judge over 1 bad game. He was a beast

[@williamwilliams194]

R.i.p lauaki great player overall

[@Dizzler808ify]

commentators seem to be enjoying that

[@owenrosser5372]

when its not your day its not your day

[@mrguy7582]

This video is reserved for idiots who never actually watched Wax play. The man was a beast, if he played today he'd leave alot of men questioning if top level rugby is for them. One bad game didn't define this mans amazing career. Completely disrepectful title and commentary.

[@no1HUTCH]

Terrible he's remembered for that one game. RIP

[@tomwarrington8888]

Phil Kearns, Greg Martin and Greg Clark: the worst commentary performance in a Wallabies box?

[@MrLinwood68]

RIP Big Fella. I guess when you have a bad day at work it's there for all to see. An All Black nonetheless and 70 odd Super Rugby games.

[@robertroberts2666]

I have never heard of him!

[@zaaooo3182]

r.i.p sione like jona makes one wonder how well you really were when you were playing, even in this game.

[@paulfernhout6657]

ANYONE WHOS GETS INTO THE ALL BLACKS IS A GREAT PLAYER EVEN GREAT PLAYERS HAVE BAD DAYS GIVE THE GUY A BREAK!

[@frankwihaere6315]

A player may have the physical credentials but weather they have the mental application to go with it is another story.

[@sameuljones5496]

up there with Colin Farrell vs the Lions

[@jeromemordido5521]

R.I.P. Sione Lauaki

[@vernersmith971]

bad game but the guy was a beast no one can argue with that!!

[@caribstu]

It wasn't all bad though, he did get the Wallabies MVP award.

[@euanwhaanga]

Commentator are aussis right...funny thing is the majority of the wallaby team have similar if not worse games against the All Blacks almost every time the two teams meet.. I find that funnier

[@alanjones6557]

Rip❤️

[@whatup23]

R.I.P when he was on he was on bt obviously something was bugging him in this game

[@theephraimite]

He was probably nervous, and when you make a mistake when you're nervous, it's hard to recover, and you'll continue to make mistakes.

[@esetalisale6772]

rip dokz you played well👏👌✊

[@stepped0]

Got his hands on the ball quite a bit though ;)

[@robhuanout5443]

watched this yesterday and he ends up dying. rip

[@davidparsons3432]

Was this his last?

[@8201em]

we all have off games, no need to single him out with this. he's had more good matches then ad.

[@fm1798]

Rest in Peace

[@K9Karotu]

He's still the fucking man tho!!!!!! RIP

[@davidparsons3432]

RIP Sione

[@davidstandingpole8928]

Only person to throw Richie mccaw down like a bitch!! He was also the fastest no. 8 for The ab's and a damaging ball runner.

[@keithsim2914]

So brutal to watch.

[@wntrskuxx8939]

Rip Sione Luaki 👌🏽

[@TheWebdex]

This is such a disrespectful video to one of the greats of Chiefs Rugby, a man that has passed away and this video still stands. Shame on you

[@camcam1577]

Nobody is saying he wasnt a great player. It was a terrible performance that night and Id argue it was by far the worst I have ever seen someone play in the black jersey. I honestly think he was intoxicated in this game which is a tragedy.

[@aneyefoaneye9348]

R.I.P 😌🎩

[@ezekielkolo3488]

He is the man #WAX R.I.P

[@uesihunt7741]

This is embarrassing for him man

[@mackindle12345]

I'm sorry, but why was 1:53 allowed to be a turnover to Australia...? Clearly the tackler has not released Lauaki before attempting to steal the ball...

[@edwardb90]

That rule came into effect in 2010 or 2011. Before then, if the tackler stayed on his feet, he didn't have to release the player before attempting the steal.

[@mackindle12345]

Thanks for the clarification - that law change evidently completely passed me by :p

[@Lord_Thistlewick_Flanders]

rest in peace

[@aruhapimarika8042]

Back then NZ had guys like Daniel Braid, Liam Messam and Tanerau Latimer, all precision blindsides that could play 8 too, but somehow this fool was picked over them time after time

[@MBRoa22]

Daniel Braid was always an openside up until very late in his career. In fact in 2008 he was absolutely a specialist openside. He wasn't a blindside or an 8.

[@Youre]

Same with Latimer ^

[@OGvibes-tq6zl]

All i can say is that once you step into somebody elses shoes we cant really judge that person. Thats all if doesent make sense oh well if it does then good.

[@yadangtuo9985]

Everyone has bad days...least he wore the jersey...when was the last time oz got a result like this lol

[@hughjanus501]

He stunk it up!

[@tkrichardaholelei1489]

worst night of his life O.o

[@ryanroberts7483]

Looked like he was trying to throw the game....

[@lakesj491]

Playing like that he should be wearing a yellow shirt with the Wallies.

[@capowable]

Geez the commenyators went to town on the poor guy😂😟

[@bustarogers9990]

He had a bad game , aaaand. What a disgusting fucking title Sione's accomplished a shit load in his sporting career got to the top of rugby and got to wear the greatest jersey in rugby history.

[@yiannis562]

It's Lauaki!!!

[@mrpakkmann3607]

But Lauaki fken killed the ozzys in the final game oh embarrassing🤣🤣🤣 scoring more than 1 try😎

[@JesusChrist-vn7hj]

Tf this guy was the man before this