A dejected Rieko Ioane after the defeat to the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
A dejected Rieko Ioane after the defeat to the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
Sam Darry steps up for the Blues amid a locking crisis, eyeing an All Blacks spot.
Rieko Ioane struggles to score, reflecting his shift from wing to centre in his gameplay.
All Blacks trials intensify as players vie for squad selection in high-stakes semifinals.
Blues v Brumbies, Eden Park, 7.05pm, Friday
Hurricanes v Chiefs, Wellington, 4.35pm, Saturday
Super Rugby Pacific reaches the pointy end this weekend with the Blues hosting the Brumbies on Friday night at Eden Park and the Hurricanes, top qualifiers, squaring off against the resurgent Chiefs in Wellington on Saturday afternoon. Liam Napier assesses talking points in the sudden death finals deciders.
Contendersto fill the All Blacks locking breach
As a laser focus turns to New Zealand’s depleted locking stocks, Sam Darry’s 2.03-metre frame looms into full view. Patrick Tuipulotu’s absence from the Blues and All Blacks with a knee injury for the next seven weeks is a significant blow for both teams.
Darry makes a timely return from concussion for the Blues to assume the lineout responsibility and with the All Blacks’ third and fourth-choice locking options blown wide open, the 23-year-old has everything to play for against the Brumbies.
Darry is yet to enter his physical prime. That will come with time and experience.
He is, though, adding size and gradually maturing into the mould demanded by the modern-day second-rower. The Brumbies, with their traditional set piece and maul strength, will provide a solid dark arts test of whether Darry is ready to step into the rigours of test rugby.
Expect this semifinal to be much more grind than glamour.
Darry is, clearly, a contrasting profile to Tuipulotu and, therefore, won’t provide the same carrying punch. But his value to the Blues’ ball-winning ability is central to their desire to progress to their second Super Rugby final in three years.
With locks thin on the ground, proving himself in this semifinal could be a major step as Darry competes with fellow rookies Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere and Jamie Hannah for a maiden All Blacks call-up.
Lock is the most threadbare position and Sam Darry of the Blues has impressed. Photo / Photosport
When will Rieko Ioane break his try-scoring drought?
For wingers, tries can be a definitive metric to measure form. Other positions less so.
At the start of this year, though, winger-cum-centre Rieko Ioane would have been at long odds to go the whole season without scoring a try.
That it’s now been some 392 days since Ioane last dotted down against the Hurricanes at Eden Park on May 27 is astonishing. Once a prolific try-scoring wing, Ioane’s point production naturally slowed with his transition to centre.
He’s scored 36 tries in 69 tests for the All Blacks but 30 of those appearances started on the left wing.
This year, after a slow start, Ioane’s work-rate has improved as he goes looking for hard-ball carries to contribute to his forward pack’s direct approach. Perhaps Ioane’s lack of tries reflects his quest to service the Blues wings.
Caleb Clarke and Mark Telea continue to shine for the Blues, after all. Tries tend to diminish as the finals progress but, surely, Ioane will soon break his try drought. With Billy Proctor and Anton Lienert-Brown applying pressure, competition for the All Blacks centre jersey is heating up.
All Blacks trials abound
In the all-Kiwi semifinal that shapes as a genuine coin-flip contest, there’s no shortage of individual All Blacks trials. Billy Proctor has been the form centre this season but with the Chiefs campaign on the line, Anton Lienert-Brown stepped up to lead the way last week.
Experienced All Blacks tend to know how to time their run for the business end. The 70-test veteran Lienert-Brown appears to be peaking at the right time but another compelling performance from Proctor should cement his maiden All Blacks squad appearance alongside Jordie Barrett and Ioane in the midfield.
Wider out, the fullback dual between Ruben Love, a notable absence last week, and Shaun Stevenson is one to savour. Halfbacks at opposing ends of the experience spectrum Cortez Ratima and TJ Perenara could be swapping tales in the All Blacks next month but will this weekend scrap it out to gain any upper hand. Asafo Aumua, Super Rugby’s form hooker, has outplayed Samisoni Taukei’aho this season.
This contest could help determine who will earn the right to deputise for Codie Taylor for the first test against England. The battle in the loose forwards between the Hurricanes young brigade of Peter Lakai and Brayden Iose and Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson and hitman Samipeni Finau is yet another explosive match up with national implications.
Chasing a rare championship
One of these teams will earn the right to end the Crusaders’ Super Rugby dominance, following seven successive titles from the once mighty empire.
The Hurricanes were the last non-Scott Robertson-coached side to win a fully-fledged Super Rugby title back in 2016 – a year after they blew the final against the Highlanders in Wellington.
That success remains the sole championship for the Hurricanes, a franchise with a rich history of underachievement. This year is decidedly different.
Under rookie head coach Clark Laidlaw, few, if any, pundits tipped the Hurricanes to overcome Ardie Savea’s absence and defeat every team enroute to finishing first.
Now, after making hard work of the Rebels last week, the Hurricanes seek to retain home advantage for the finale. A crowd edging 30,000 this weekend should help.
For the Chiefs, their twin titles date further back to 2012-13 when Dave Rennie, Wayne Smith and Tom Coventry transformed their fortunes overnight.
Last year, the Chiefs were the best team all season, only to fall at home in the final to you know who. If last week’s compelling quarter-final domination of the Reds is any gauge, the Chiefs have grasped the art of peaking for the post-season. Maybe it’s their turn to prove you must lose a final to win a title.
