It was no surprise Virimi Vakatawa scored on his Test debut.
That is what he does, score tries.
France coach Guy Noves took a gamble on the Fijian-born winger and it paid off in the form of a try and a man of the match performance as Les Bleus battled back to beat Italy on Saturday.
“He obviously met our expectations,” said Noves in the wake of the 23-21 win at Stade de France
“He showed his potential, and proved that he could perform at top level. I am very happy with him, he shook things up and ask a lot of questions to the Italian defence.
“I hope he will keep doing so, and then we’ll see if he can stay with us. For now, he is.”
Vakatawa is a Sevens specialist who, after two years with Racing Metro, has been playing on the seven-a-side circuit since 2013. He will travel to Rio de Janeiro with the French Olympic team this summer but, before that, he has been drafted in by Noves to add some power and pace to the France back three.
So far the unorthodox selection has paid off for the former Toulouse coach. The 23 year old, who has not played an orthodox game of rugby union in over two years, took his chance against the Azzurri and is now training his sights on Ireland.
Andrew Trimble will be charged with marking the explosive Vakatawa, but his Sevens’ instinct to roam means the whole Irish backline will be wary of the Test newbie.
Les exploits de Vakatawa au London Sevens by Le-Rugbynistere
Dave Kearney – who was a late replacement against Wales – starts in Stade de France on the other wing and will be wary of the powerful runner.
The Leinster man has seen enough of Vakatawa to know he could be a handful.
“You know that he’s got real threats from the fact he’s thrived in Sevens,” said Kearney. “Give someone like that space and they cause you trouble.
“He’ll be looking for the space and he’ll be wanting to exploit any gaps.”
“And he’ll be wanting to use his footwork to cause problems,” added Kearney. “You’ve just got to get into him and get up as quick as you can.”
Joe Schmidt is a big admirer of France full-back Maxime Medard, so Kearney and his team-mates are well-versed on the threats posed by a back three that is completed by the explosive Teddy Thomas.
Defensively as a trio they may be suspect but, with ball in hand, they can be devastating.
“Depending on what happens and how we play defensively, but hopefully we’ll know the threats of those guys around the edges.
“We know that all their wide players can be devastating if given the opportunities.”
But all eyes will be on Vakatawa, who is proving Sevens into 15 does go.
