Ardie Savea of the Hurricanes reacts during the round 8 Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Ardie Savea of the Hurricanes reacts during the round 8 Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Seven talking points from Super Rugby, the quote of the year so far, and a squad picked only on this weekend's form.
TRY OF THE WEEK In a crowded field, a drum roll and then a standing ovation please for Ardie Savea, who 15 minutes into the second half in Wellingtonturned over the ball 90 metres from the Chiefs' line. He then sprinted in support of TJ Perenara, yelling and pointing in case Perenara hadn't noticed Jordie Barrett was outside him. Somehow Savea still had enough energy to take the final pass from Barrett, and bash past a couple of defenders to score. Savea's try was the breathtaking highlight of the Canes 47-19 humbling of the Chiefs, who a long, very different, six weeks ago had stretched the Canes to a 23-all draw in Hamilton.
WHERE'S A DECENT HERD TESTER WHEN YOU NEED ONE? There were times, most notably when they were rolling mauls towards the Hurricanes' goal-line, when the Chiefs looked like the side that had pulled their season back from the brink over the last month. And then, when Jordie Barrett, or Wes Goosen, or Chase Tiatia started running in open spaces, a bad case of grass staggers turned most of the Chiefs backs into mildly interested spectators. Anton Lienert-Brown was extraordinary, but he really was the rugby version of the boy on a burning deck.
WE GET THE POINT, HE'S BEST AT FULLBACK Jordie Barrett has had to live like a freedom camper in the Canes' backline, never sure from week to week where he'll be pitching his tent. Two tries in the first seven minutes in Wellington surely proved the 15 jersey is his perfect fit.
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL At the ideal time if you're the All Blacks selectors, Aaron Smith comes back from injury, playing like he's never been away, as the Highlanders thrash the Sunwolves in Tokyo, 52-0. Shooting out accurate, torpedo passes, and darting past tacklers, in general he looked exactly like the daring, cheeky, inspirational, hugely gifted halfback the All Blacks will need in Japan.
Aaron Smith of the Highlanders. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
WHEN BECOMING EVEN THE THIRD WHEEL IS A MAJOR BATTLE A rampaging run by Liam Coltman in Tokyo was a reminder that, barring injuries, there will be a fiercely contested race for the three hooking spots in the World Cup squad. A fully fit Dane Coles, and Codie Taylor, would look safe bets. But choosing between Coltman and Nathan Harris, both of whom very recently signed contracts with New Zealand Rugby, Coltman to 2022, Harris to 2021, shapes as an even closer contest than last year, when Harris was the reserve to Taylor in the Rugby Championship.
DOES THE NAME MILNER-SKUDDER RING A BELL? The remarkable advance of wing Sevu Reece shot up another notch when he found himself, in the 34th minute of the Crusaders' 36-10 demolition of the Lions in Christchurch, confronted with Kwagga Smith, the broken nosed, icy eyed epitome of all that's scarily tough about South African loose forwards. A moment later Smith was on his bum, and Reece was scoring his first of two tries. The current All Black selectors are pretty conservative in most areas, but they will punt on wings. Nehe Milner-Skudder was an inspired bolter in 2015 for the World Cup, and moving Julian Savea to the right wing, so a 20-year-old Rieko Ioane could play on the left wing against the Lions in 2017, didn't work out too badly either. If Reece can keep playing the way he did on Friday night, he certainly wouldn't look out of place in a black jersey.
POSSIBLY ONE OF THE CRUSADERS' SECRETS They rarely (with the rare exception of Brodie Retallick) let a star from their own catchment area slip away. They set up a Crusaders academy in Nelson in 2015, so basically they're getting first dibs on the whole of the top half of the South Island. The synergy between the Crusaders and Canterbury that helps make both teams so successful is now being replicated with Tasman. Blues fans should thank their lucky stars the first steps to copy that blueprint with the Blues and Auckland are finally being taken after years of ridiculous boardroom resistance.
RUGBY QUOTE OF THE YEAR TO DATE More evidence to support my theory last week that props have the most interesting minds in a rugby team. Angus Ta'avao, on being moved from tighthead to loosehead prop for the Chiefs: "Imagine going to the toilet and being right-handed, and then you've got to use your left hand."
Finally, a squad picked only on form in the weekend.
Fullback: Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes) Right wing: Sevu Reece (Crusaders) Centre: Braydon Ennor (Crusaders) Left wing: George Bridge (Crusaders) Second five: Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs) First five: Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) Halfback: Aaron Smith (Highlanders) No.8: Kieran Read (Crusaders) Flanker: Ardie Savea (Hurricanes) Flanker: Luke Whitelock (Highlanders) Lock: Sam Whitelock (Crusaders) Lock: Tom Franklin (Highlanders) Tighthead prop: Tyrel Lomax (Highlanders) Hooker: Nathan Harris (Chiefs) Loosehead prop: Joe Moody (Crusaders) Reserves: Chase Tiatia (Hurricanes), Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Chiefs), Vaea Fifita (Hurricanes), James Blackwell (Hurricanes), Angus Ta'avao (Chiefs), Daniel Lienert-Brown (Highlanders), Liam Coltman (Highlanders).
