Chiefs v Crusaders: Ollie Norris focusing on consistency, growth as props eye All Blacks spots

Ollie Norris will provide impact off the bench for the Chiefs against the Crusaders. Photo / Getty Images

With injuries in the All Blacks prop stocks, opportunity beckons for those who are looking to make the next step.

Tonight, several of those players will feature when the Chiefs host the Crusaders.

Joe Moody and Aidan Ross are the already capped All Blacks looking to earn their places back at the top level, while rising talents Tamaiti Williams and Ollie Norris are looking to make the most of their minutes and catch the eye of the coaches.

Norris knows of the opportunities in his position with All Blacks squad regular George Bower out for the season and Fletcher Newell, who plays on the other side of the scrum, ruled out for the rest of the Super Rugby season.

However, at age 23, the Chiefs loosehead is aware he still has time on his side.

“Like every footy player in New Zealand, my dream is to be an All Black. If there are injuries and I get selected, I’ll be grateful and pretty happy with it, but I know I’m still young and I know I still have stuff to learn,” Norris said.

“It will be a long process but hopefully I can get there at some point. Whether it’s this year or later on in my career, I’m still going to strive to make that goal happen.”

After starting in last weekend’s win over the Hurricanes, Norris will return to the bench against the Crusaders as Ross draws the starting role.

With the Chiefs sitting atop the table with an 8-0 record, Norris said his goal for the rest of the season was to maintain a consistently high level of play.

“I don’t want to be one of those players going up and down. I want to be playing good footy and showing people that I can play with the big dogs and hopefully I’m someone they’ll actually look at,” he said.

“These big games are an awesome opportunity to do that, especially going up against guys like Joe Moody. He’s been there and he’s that staple loosehead for New Zealand. Being able to compare yourself against him is pretty cool, especially with a home game too.”

Since making his Super Rugby debut with the Chiefs in 2020, Norris has proven he’s capable of holding down a starting role, but has been largely used as an impact player – working as a 1-2 punch with fellow loosehead Ross.

Norris brings something different to the position with his mobility and ball skills, which can cause issues for tiring defences late in a game. Those skills stem from his days of playing at No 8, making the transition to the front row at the end of 2017.

It’s been a big learning experience since then, but Norris is now playing with confidence in every area.

“When I first moved to the front row and I was fresh into Super Rugby, I was just happy to not get pushed back in the scrum – I was happy to just sit there and survive. Now, I’m happy to go forward now; I want to actually attack, so it’s awesome to see the difference in that.”

Chiefs v Crusaders

Tonight, 7.05pm, FMG Stadium in Hamilton

Chiefs: Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa, Daniel Rona, Rameka Poihipi, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Damian McKenzie, Brad Weber, Luke Jacobson, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau, Tupou Vaa’i, Brodie Retallick, George Dyer, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Aidan Ross.

Reserves: Tyrone Thompson, Ollie Norris, John Ryan, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Pita Gus Sowakula, Cortez Ratima, Bryn Gatland, Lalomilo Lalomilo.

Crusaders: Fergus Burke, Dallas McLeod, Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Richie Mo’unga, Mitchell Drummond, Cullen Grace, Tom Christie, Dom Gardiner, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody.

Reserves: Brodie McAlister, Finlay Brewis, Oli Jager, Quinten Strange, Christian Lio-Willie, Willi Heinz, Jack Goodhue, Macca Springer.

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