Tangitau played a starring role in the All Blacks XV’s 33-19 win over the Barbarians in England yesterday.
His two tries were vital as the second-stringers recovered from a shocking start to post a win in the opening game of their northern tour in Brentford.
Tangitau made a giant impression in the opening rounds of his first season with the Highlanders before succumbing to injury, and Highlanders and All Blacks XV coach Jamie Joseph would have been delighted to see him at full gas yesterday.
The Barbarians scored the opening try after just 100 seconds when former Springboks prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye burrowed over from close range.
When fellow South African forwards Evan Roos and Bongi Mbonambi added tries, it was 19-0 to the Barbarians.
That would be the last time the invitational side would score, however.
The All Blacks XV got on the board just before halftime.
From a scrum, No 8 Devan Flanders broke right and halfback Xavier Roe fired out a massive pass to a waiting Tangitau, who scooted in for his and the team’s opening try.
Tangitau played a big role in their second, too.
After he had nudged a kick ahead, he manhandled Barbarians winger Werner Kok, and when the ball was jolted loose, Roe pounced on it and scored.
Tangitau’s second try was a winger’s special.
The Barbarians were formulating an attack just inside their own half when Tangitau swooped on the intercept, and he was never going to be caught.
Reserve halfback Kyle Preston showed his pace to give the tourists the lead for the first time, and veteran midfielder David Havili completed the scoring after a Baabaas kick was charged down.
Two other Highlanders — hooker Jack Taylor and fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens — started for the All Blacks XV, while Sean Withy came off the bench.
The next game in their tour is against England A in Bath.
— England got their autumn international campaign off to a convincing start with a dominant 25-7 victory over a toothless Australia at Twickenham to make it eight wins in a row.
England were on top for much of the first half but had only a Ben Earl try and a penalty to show for it, leading only 10-7 at the break after Harry Potter scored a length-of-the-field interception try.
England threw on their own "bomb squad" of five Lions forwards early in the second half and one of them, flanker Henry Pollock, galloped over for their second try.
Halfback Alex Mitchell scored a clever third in the 72nd minute, sniping from the back of a maul, and an unstoppable 30m maul then enabled replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie to mark his 50th appearance with the fourth to give the scoreboard a more accurate reflection of England’s control.
— First five Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and winger Kurt-Lee Arendse scored two tries each as South Africa cruised to a 61-7 victory over Japan at a sodden Wembley Stadium.
— Darcy Graham and Jamie Dobie claimed hat-tricks as Scotland ran in 13 unanswered tries to romp to an 85-0 victory over the United States at Murrayfield.
— Additional reporting Reuters
