Six Super Rugby talking points, including who should be playing the final.
Apologies Auckland and Wellington
The dramatic sellout game in Hamilton on Saturday night, won 34-24 by the Chiefs against the Crusaders, was almost certainly a preview of what should be a fantastic final on June 24.
Mark downthe Chiefs as a certainty for a home final. In men like Sam Cane, Luke Jacobson, Brodie Retallick and Samisoni Taukei’aho, they have the hard-edged attitude that years ago led an Auckland coach to mutter to me “you can guarantee one thing when you play in Hamilton. You’ll get the crap knocked out of you.”
Strength in sport comes in many guises. In contact sport it pays to be physically strong and resilient, and Damian McKenzie has proved his hardiness many times, but against the Crusaders he also demonstrated a mental strength that was hugely impressive.
In general play he didn’t have a great start to the game. Clearing kicks were charged down, and he was closely and fiercely marked. The nadir came when one of his punts slammed into the side of poor Jacobson’s head, and dangerously ricocheted into the Chiefs backfield.
But those awkward times didn’t impact on McKenzie’s flawless goal-kicking technique, as he kicked the Chiefs to an improbable 12-7 halftime lead.
In the second half he was sublime, as his running game became a major nerve-wracking threat. McKenzie must surely be one of the first names on Ian Foster’s list for the World Cup.
Damian McKenzie of the Chiefs and Richie Mo'unga of the Crusaders.
Chiefs v Crusaders, Super Rugby Pacific, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand on the Saturday 29 April 2023. Copyright Photo: Jeremy Ward / www.photosport.nz
Two more for the road
Shaun Stevenson’s knack of being in the right place at the right time, as he finished off a move sparked by McKenzie for a 72nd minute try, was a timely reminder of his test level form.
For the Crusaders Leicester Fainga’anuku was masterful in the air competing for the ball, and consistently elusive and abrasive when his boots hit the ground. Both Stevenson and Fainga’anuku have hit golden runs of form when it matters.
Fact is stranger than fiction
As the Crusaders examine the videos from the first half in Hamilton they’ll surely be bemused by the fact that despite forcing the Chiefs to make twice as many tackles as they did, despite crossing the Chiefs line three times, they only had one converted try.
The 13th minute denial of a Dallas McLeod try, because Braydon Ennor knocked the ball forward as he tackled McKenzie, was uncontroversial.
But the denial of Scott Barrett’s try in the 23rd minute, because it was decided the ball tipping Dom Gardiner’s hands and flicking backwards down the field was a knock-on, was a ruling that could have come from the sight impaired mob who run the NRL’s bunker.
They were outmuscled in the end, but every sign is that the Crusaders are back, and when the knockout rounds start they’ll be the biggest threat to the Chiefs.
Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick scores a try against the Crusaders. Photo / photosport.nz
A ray of sunshine
There’s been a lot of mediocre Super Rugby this year, but the Hurricanes 32-27 win over the Brumbies on Friday night was a thrilling stand against what’s too often been a tedious tide.
The game had everything. There was a lack of aimless kicking. There was the astonishing sight of a Brumbies lock, Nick Frost, outsprinting chasing backs in a 75-metre run for a try. And Canes hooker Asafo Aumua and Ardie Savea combined, not in a maul, but in an exhilarating dash down the touchline for Savea to score in the 14th minute.
Harsh realities
If every Super game was like the Canes and the Brumbies, or the Chiefs and the Crusaders, they’d be turning people away at the turnstiles.
But they’re not, and there’s often been a reluctance this year for officials to reveal the number of hardy fans who too often just dot the stands at Super matches.
So bravo to Blues chief executive Andrew Hore, who has spoken out about the fact that Super Rugby needs a revamp.
It’s deeply revealing that he says administrators outside New Zealand Rugby feel NZR is really only interested in the All Blacks.
All decisions about Super Rugby are made by NZR, not the franchises. With the furore over All Blacks coaching behind them, it would be a masterstroke by NZR if they invited all the franchises to brainstorm ways to make Super Rugby more relevant.
