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Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne is picking up American football fairly quickly since joining the San Francisco 49ers earlier this year. Much of the skills learned while playing fullback for the Parramatta Eels are beginning to pay off for Hayne in his first season with the 49ers.
Coined the “LeBron James of Australia,” Hayne has made an impression on his new coach staff and teammates since moving to the Bay Area back in March. During spring session workouts, Hayne was one of the primary punt returners and has shown a natural deftness in tracking the ball while in flight.
Aside from special teams, Hayne is also competing at running back and much of what he learned playing rugby is translating over to the new position. “Jarryd looks like a football player, he’s a great person and will help you with anything he could. Been playing rugby since he was 18, so of course he looks like a football player,” said fellow rookie running back Mike Davis.
While the transition over to the NFL has been relatively smooth for Hayne, the next step in the young running back’s evolution of donning full-fledged football pads during practices has made some of the 49ers coaches a little nervous. “You watch what we’re doing here and it’s still rugby,” head coach Jim Tomsula said. “There’s no pads here. He’s fielding balls and running around in shorts and a T-shirt.
Hayne’s upright running style has been a bit of concern for Tomsula and may turn out to be a tough habit for the former rugby player to break this summer. However, running backs coach Tom Rathman believes the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hayne will be able to quickly adjust his posture once pads come on.
Depending on how Hayne performs at running back and in full pads this summer may not matter in the end. His chances in earning a spot on the 53-man roster grows slim in the backfield consisting of Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Kendall Hunter and Davis. Hayne’s aptitude at fielding punts and kick-offs may be his only saving grace in getting on the field this season.
James Forsythe is a 49ers Beat Writer at www.RantSports.com. You can Follow him on Twitter @9erJim or add him to your network on Google.
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