Phil Gifford presents five talking points from the final round of Super Rugby Pacific.
That’s the way to say goodbye
In what will almost certainly be his last home game for the Hurricanes, Dane Coles has forever shown that being real is a way to win hearts, minds andfooty games.
The All Blacks hooker was at his niggly, hard-working, relentless best as the Canes beat the Crusaders 27-26 in Wellington.
Coles is a reminder of old school heroes like Mark “Cowboy” Shaw, who famously used to tell new All Blacks they had to be prepared to “piss blood” if they wanted to be worthy of wearing the back jersey.
I doubt there’s a motto for tight forwards that makes more sense than Coles saying after the game that “sometimes you’ve got to be a bit of an arsehole”.
Codie Taylor has been fantastic for the Crusaders this year, but it was obvious Coles had really got under his skin when in the 52nd minute Taylor, right under the nose of referee Brendon Pickerill, slapped the ball away after a penalty was awarded to the Canes.
Taylor got a yellow card. Coles was subbed off three minutes later, but the score in his arm wrestle with the Crusader was definitely 1-0.
There’s no question now about the form team heading into the playoffs. About the only hiccup in the Chiefs’ build-up is the fact they’ve had to endure what will add up to a 10,600km return flight to Perth for their last round-robin game.
So let’s hear it for a side who made beating the Force 43-19 look so easy. Even more impressive was the fact there were 11 changes from the starting team who beat the Brumbies last weekend.
Depth is crucial at the knockout stage of Super Rugby, and when the Chiefs can roll out as basically their fourth string halfback a 2018 All Black, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, you know their talent pool runs deep.
No, not hallucinating
Just when you thought the Canes tipping over the Crusaders would be the biggest upset of the weekend, Moana Pasifika, whose season has largely given new meaning to the word nightmare, roll the Waratahs 33-24 in Sydney.
The Tahs admittedly haven’t been sensational themselves, but Moana were last on the table with no wins all season, and the Waratahs sixth.
Nevertheless, there’s still a quarter-final at Eden Park next weekend against the Blues for the Tahs, while Moana have all year now to think about how to summon in 2024 the will and drive they showed in Sydney.
While I have a feeling he may not make this year’s All Blacks squad, Moana’s Levi Aumua played like an international in the centres.
Moana Pasifika left their best 'til last. Photo / Getty
Serengeti wildlife shows start to look good
There are times, for reasons that can’t be fully explained, a game comes along that just stinks the joint out.
Such was the lacklustre Eden Park match on Friday night, where the Blues were a little less bumbling than the Highlanders, and won 16-9.
Penalties poured down like the Auckland rain this autumn. It was symbolic of a night that screamed for a switch to the nature channel on TV, that the only sparkling moment in the 80 minutes, a typically scorching run by Mark Telea for what seemed to be a try in the 66th minute, was correctly disallowed.
Before Telea got the ball there was a fraction of a second when Blues’ second-five Harry Plummer’s knee crossed the touchline before Plummer could free the ball.
On the bright side of life
A reminder of how much a fervent home crowd can inspire a team was the Drua’s dynamic second half that took them to a 41-17 victory over the Reds in Suva. Who knows how close their quarter-final with the Crusaders next weekend might be if it was being played in Suva, not chilly Christchurch?
