Rugby: Chiefs' faith in new players rewarded with all-important depth

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The Chiefs are often lauded for their depth but how do they habitually develop such a quality?

The answer can be gleaned by examining the six months leading up to tonight's season-opener with the Blues at QBE Stadium.

First, the coaching staff assessed what when wrong during an inconsistent previous campaign and searched for areas of weakness.

They then identified talent from around the country to fill those holes, with little attention paid to a player's age or experience.

And, finally, they placed trust in those players to perform from the outset, naming in their run-on XV three Super Rugby debutants with another three coming off the bench.

That simple strategy develops depth and, while every team attempts a similar approach, the Chiefs have in recent times mastered it.

"We've got a history that we've built up over three of four years of putting our faith in anyone we've selected," said assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge. "We go through a thorough process when we ID people and we truly believe that if we've signed someone they're good enough. We try not to sign duds."

An absence of duds will be especially important this season, given the constraints of a World Cup year, and the test of another recruiting class will begin tonight when Damian McKenzie (first five), Maama Vaipulu (No8) and Johan Bardoul (blindside flanker) battle the Blues.

"The teams that do well in this competition historically are the teams with a fair bit of depth and the teams that have a lot of faith in their playing roster," Strawbridge said.

"We've probably rotated our playing roster more than most other teams and that's a reflection of the faith we have."

That faith has rewarded McKenzie, edging older brother and one-time Blues pivot Marty, while Vaipulu and Bardoul join Sam Cane in the loose forwards, with All Blacks Aaron Cruden and Liam Messam sitting out.

"There are a couple of challenges put to us because of the way the All Blacks have to be used," Strawbridge said. "You're going to have to play players a couple of times that in past years you might not have had to, so depth is incredibly important."

Perhaps nowhere is that depth more prevalent than in the centres, where Taranaki's championship-winning midfield, among others, are duelling for a spot beside Sonny Bill Williams. Charlie Ngatai won that duel in week one. "Any time you run out you have an opportunity to make a statement," Strawbridge said. "Charlie gets the first chance to make a statement and say, 'I'm the man who you should really consider every time you're picking a 13'."