The prop receives the pass in the middle, six metres out.
His first impact is on Cameron Munster. However, Munster’s footing and position are not set as he has come out of the line to pressure Ennis, and Smith is delayed on his shift to the middle by the Sharks hooker’s quiver of a dummy to Gallen approaching on the blindside.
A still image at that point suggests Fifita’s not getting to the line. Welch to his left, Cameron Munster in front, Finucane in the middle of the posts and Harris hovering near the right upright.
He accelerates off his left getting on the inside and slightly past the unstable Munster rendering his tackle ineffective as the big man’s momentum and drive means the fullback is simply being towed, hanging on for dear life.
The brutal and technically sound Finucane goes in and under, hitting hard with his right shoulder but again Fifita’s momentum and greater height allow him to go over the Storm lock who, although still holding on, finds himself going to ground, his legs getting in the way of Munster who will be forced to disengage.
Already, it seems, there may be too many cooks in the kitchen.
Smith, the head chef, has not yet arrived to set matters right.
In the previous tackle Welch has wrapped up and prevented the dangerous Prior from offloading. Instead of staying at marker with Smith he scampers across to the middle to ensure he’s there to prevent a try and rectify his penalty lapse.
Previously obscured by Munster and the enormous figure of Fifita, Welch’s head emerges. He moves in for a powerful tackle but instead his chest trampolines off the head of the falling Finucane. He attempts to reset but in the meantime Fifita, his legs not yet entrapped and still moving, powers again off his left and as he’s collapsing bulldozes Welch to the line just as Smith arrives from the side.
Initially the Storm captain is finding it hard to commit to this assemblage of assimilating limbs and torsos, but as Fifita gets closer to the ground and is finally losing use of his feet, Smith’s able to perform his specialty of slowing the ball carrier’s momentum and turning the player onto his back.
However, before he has the prop fully adhered to the ground, Fifita, ball easily ensconced in his enormous right hand, moves to plant it to his right but something stops him. He’s still slightly twisted the other way and Welch’s leg is on the line so perhaps he fears losing it. Or does he catch in the corner of his eye the introduction of the sixth actor in this slo-mo wrestle for survival?
Harris has been hanging out bracing himself for a possible offload by Fifita but finally commits and enters just inside the right post. If he remains there Fifita will lose the ball on his left foot. However, he sees the prop preparing to plant the ball over the other side and naturally attempts to slap the ball out of his hands. To do so, he has to lean over and balance on Welch’s shoulders who is seated on the ground struggling to blockade Fifita’s passage to the line.
Understandably, Harris’s effort is clumsy. He tilts forward like a see-saw on Welch’s head and shoulders, swatting blindly at where he thinks the ball is. Before his follow-through is completed Fifita has already started to swing the ball back. Welch is unable to react. He still has Harris pressing down on his head and shoulders and now Harris’ left leg is airborne freeing space for Fifita’s legendary put-down.
Bunker footage from the scoring end shows Fifita bringing the ball over in an arc. Munster’s puppy dog eyes follow it and identify the threat but, trapped in the legs of Finucane at the end of a six foot four body, he can only lean forward and impotently swat at the ball.
There’s one final scene. Smith, the serenest and smartest man on the field, still has a play. Lying across Fifita on the other side he knows what’s happening. He has to stretch his arm fully to dislodge the ball but can only place minimal pressure on the top of Fifita’s wrist as the ball touches the ground. It is only then that Smith manages to flick the ball from Fifita’s grasp.