Phil Gifford lists six talking points from a Super Pacific Rugby round that may have calmed All Blacks selection nerves.
Good news for the Cup
Concerns about the form of Beauden Barrett, usually a jewel in the New Zealand rugby crown, must surely have eased after his assertive display forthe Blues in their 45-26 win in Brisbane against the Reds.
Barrett is not only physically gifted, but also possesses a keen intelligence. Finding his attacking mojo is important for the Blues, and, as the World Cup in France starts to loom on the horizon, for the All Blacks too.
A happy tweak is that the injury that saw him limp off on Friday was a cut to his heel. Stitches and professional care make cuts much less difficult to deal with than a muscle or tendon tear.
As an undefeated All Blacks captain, Sir Wayne Shelford’s views automatically carry gravitas. In a discussion with D’Arcy Waldergrave on NewstalkZB, Shelford nominated Ardie Savea as his choice for All Blacks captain. One of Shelford’s reasons for the call was the fear that incumbent Sam Cane might be susceptible to injury.
Cane has battled a range of injuries in recent years, but as he belted through 80 rain-drenched minutes in the Chiefs 23-12 win over the Hurricanes in Hamilton, it would have delighted the All Blacks selectors to see how he was playing again with the daring of the 18-year-old from Reporoa, who went straight from high school into the Bay of Plenty provincial team.
Sam Cane waves to the crowd at Sky Stadium. Photo / Getty
And the best news
Will Jordan, as understated as anyone in the game, has noted that the months he’s been unable to play with migraine-related problems made it “a bit of a struggle mentally”.
His return to rugby has been hugely impressive, and in the Crusaders’ 41-7 demolition of Moana Pasifika in Auckland, he was in brilliant form.
His carries were effective, and his handling and passing were, as always, impeccable. After playing a major role in the first two Crusader tries, Jordan then linked up with another All Black on an impressive comeback trail, Jack Goodhue, and made his own 35th-minute try look easy, in the way only truly gifted players can.
Will Jordan, of the Crusaders, against Moana Pasifika. Photo / Getty
Pick me, pick me
In a pick-the-All-Blacks-team-contest at the start of the season, prop Tamaiti Williams might not have been the first name jotted down.
But the giant Crusader’s work rate has been lifting all season, to the point now where he’s in the “must have” front-row category with Ethan De Groot and Tyrel Lomax.
Try of the round
Technically there were better tries this round, but the 45-metre dash through the Hamilton storm by Hurricanes No 8 Brayden Iose for his 68th-minute try was the sort of wildly unexpected moment that makes sport exciting.
When the ball spilled out of Damian McKenzie’s grasp into Iose’s hands, the odds on Iose scoring seemed long. He was being pursued by Chiefs’ backs, Anton Lienert-Brown and Alex Nankivell. But the big man from Manawatū summoned his inner Usain Bolt and scored without a hand laid on him.
The best final act
If, as I do, you see sport as unscripted drama, then the best finale of the round was in Dunedin where the Highlanders slugged it out for 83 exhausting minutes with the Rebels, with the scores locked at 17-17.
After wave after wave of attack from the Highlanders, the Rebels No 8 Richard Hardwick took a chance and flung himself across a ruck for the ball. Referee Paul Williams called the penalty 10 metres in from touch and about 25 metres out from the Rebels’ line.
A penalty goal is rarely that dramatic. Sam Gilbert’s kick for a 20-17 win was so accurate it passed exactly through the midpoint between the goalposts. The reaction of Gilbert and his team-mates was, quite fairly, as ecstatic as if a 90-metre run had resulted in a try.
