The upsetters could be, as unlikely as it would have sounded even a week ago, the Blues, who in their 46-6 thrashing of the Waratahs at Eden Park on Saturday showed many of the touches that won them the title last year.
This weekend’s quarter-final in Hamilton with the Chiefs suddenly becomes a fascinating contest.
Out of the hunt? The Reds, who have to play the Crusaders in Christchurch this Friday. Good luck with that.
And the Brumbies, who while they’re at home in Canberra on Saturday night, are facing the Hurricanes, who caught fire in their 64-12 dismissal of Moana Pasifika in Wellington.
Still favourites
The Chiefs started Friday’s game in Dunedin with the Highlanders in the same jaw-dropping form that had seen them tear Moana Pasifika to shreds a week earlier.
The Landers battled back to be only five points behind at halftime. In the process, the Chiefs didn’t quite look like the super beings from another planet as they had against Moana.
But don’t be fooled. They’re a well-coached, deeply committed, highly skilled team, who can win with high-wire daring, or old-fashioned grunt work.
Man of the match
All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i was a standout in Dunedin, playing with the vigour that first caught the eye of All Black coach Ian Foster in 2020 when Vaa’i was just 20.
Three tries demonstrated Vaa’i’s remarkable athleticism, and just as impressive was his impeccable work at lineouts and breakdowns.
The jersey surely beckons
Back in February, after the first two rounds of Super Rugby Pacific, I wrote: “Moving Timoci Tavatavanawai from the wing to the midfield (for the Highlanders) this year already looks like a stroke of genius.
“At 106kg, he offers the solidity, and many of the skills that another man who went from wing to second five, Ma’a Nonu, did in the 2011 and 2015 World Cup-winning All Black teams.”
As the season has gone on, it’s proved to be one of those rare occasions where months later you feel no need to change a word. Tavatavanawai was at the heart of the spirited Highlanders effort against the potent Chiefs.
I’d love to see him in action for the All Blacks against the French in July.
Larkham is a really good bloke
There’s a long, gritty history of hard-fought big matches in Canberra between the Crusaders and the Brumbies. Saturday night’s clash was last gasp stuff, with replacement hooker George Bell scoring in the 77th minute to give the Crusaders a 33-31 victory.
There was near hysteria from some Aussie commentators over Bell’s try. In the 75th minute, with the Brumbies ahead 31-28, Kiwi referee James Doleman didn’t call what, to be fair, did look like a knock-on by Sevu Reece.
Play continued, and, after a penalty for the Crusaders, Bell scored from a resulting lineout.
Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui went wildly over the top. It was “disgraceful”, “not up to standard”, and even, he claimed, “changed the make-up of the competition”. How impressive it then was to hear from Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham, who said, while he believed no call on the knock-on was crucial, the Brumbies had benefited from unsighted knock-ons in both halves themselves.
Todd Blackadder once told me that when he was the All Blacks captain he was pleasantly surprised at how likeable many of the Wallaby opponents were. He singled out Larkham in particular. “He’s just a good bloke.” Larkham’s lack of bile on Saturday night proved the point.
Juggling flaming torches next?
There was a touch of basically light relief when Crusaders’ wing Sevu Reece calmly dropped a 30m goal in the 28th minute, a moment about as unexpected as seeing halfback Noah Hotham deciding he’d like to try propping a scrum.
Reece is one of those remarkable players who refuses to be limited by what’s usually expected of a player in his position.
Unleashing the attack
It’s been a long, often grim, season for the Blues. There was finally reward for the Eden Park faithful as the Waratahs were soundly beaten on Saturday.
The 46-6 scoreline was impressive but even more heartening was the fact several star players, in particular Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane, were lethal with the ball in hand.
Add in the return of Mark Tele’a on the wing and suddenly the slightly muted Blues’ attack we’d seen in too many games this year was shining.
Hopefully, the weather is kind when the Blues travel to Hamilton this weekend to face the Chiefs.
With a dry ball, there are so many gifted runners in both sides the match has the potential to be a classic.
A gold medal effort
There were stars by the score in the Hurricanes’ 64-12 win over Moana Pasifika in Wellington.
No 8 Peter Lakai flung himself fearlessly again and again into a scarily physical Moana defensive line.
Halfback Cam Roigard had another blinder, and first five Brett Cameron played as if he had never had to spend months to rehab a ligament he tore in his left knee while training with the Wellington team last year.
But Canes’ coach Clark Laidlaw wasn’t remotely over the top when he said second five Peter Umaga-Jensen had his best game for the Canes.
The second of his two tries was surely a contender for try of the season. Passed the ball on the halfway line he rocketed past seven stunned defenders to score.
He’s one of several Canes who should be too dynamic for the Brumbies to contain next Saturday.
Phil Gifford is a Contributing Sports Writer for NZME. He is one of the most-respected voices in New Zealand sports journalism.
