Brodie Retallick of the Chiefs misses a line out. Photo / Photosport
Brodie Retallick of the Chiefs misses a line out. Photo / Photosport
COMMENT
There is a feeling in some quarters, even now only three rounds into Super Rugby, that the mixed performances from the Chiefs (especially), Blues (no change really), Hurricanes and Highlanders will worry the All Blacks coaches as the World Cup approaches.
In reality, they won't. The only thing SteveHansen, Ian Foster, and company will be worried about in the early stages of the competition is the mental and physical wellbeing of their top players. If anything, the coaches may have more concern about the Crusaders, who are undefeated and appear set for a run deep into the playoffs again.
Statistically, there will be some All Blacks who won't make the Rugby Championship in July and August which will give a better idea of their form and that's because of injuries. Some won't make it to Yokohama in September for the first test of a World Cup defence for the same reason. That's just part of the game – probably the worst part, most would agree.
But the current selectors have always said that early-season Super Rugby form has little or no bearing to how players react to the different pressures of test rugby later in the year.
The All Black-laden Crusaders didn't make the Super Rugby playoffs in 2015, the year of their repeat World Cup triumph. Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock, and company didn't start hitting any sort of form for coach Todd Blackadder until halfway through the round-robin and by that stage, it was too late. It was the first time since 2001 that the red and blacks hadn't made the finals.
Brodie Retallick of the Chiefs misses a line out. Photo / Photosport
Who were the players standing tallest for the All Blacks in England and Wales in September and October of that year? Carter and McCaw - both of whom were written off by some as over the hill before the tournament – and Read and Whitelock; Jerome Kaino from the Blues. Ma'a Nonu and Julian Savea from the Hurricanes.
Similarly, 2011 was a unique year for the Crusaders who played every game away from home due to the earthquakes but who were inspired to do something special for their community and who almost certainly raised their game as a result only to fall at the final hurdle.
Later, the All Blacks were good at home in the Tri-Nations – convincingly beating South Africa in Wellington and Australia in Auckland - but they were poor in the return tests in Port Elizabeth and Brisbane.
A couple of months later they had won the World Cup.
The point is, players aren't robots; they can't perform at their best for eight or nine months of the year. Form will fluctuate but the All Blacks coaches generally get the best out of them and there is nothing like a World Cup to sharpen minds.
The form of the Chiefs will, and should, worry their supporters because they appear in trouble already this season with three losses, but that has little to do with key All Black Brodie Retallick or midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown.
Damian McKenzie, who missed the first-round defeat to the Highlanders, has yet to find his groove at No10 but that's probably not surprising given his last seven tests have been at fullback.
The issues at the Chiefs seem deeper than the performances of a few key players; their on-field balance just seems wrong, quite apart from their poor attitude, especially when losing to the Sunwolves.
In other words: don't panic, All Blacks supporters. But Chiefs fans: you may be in for a disappointing season.
