For
a brief six-minute spell after halftime, when first Macca Springer, in the 49th minute, and then Codie Taylor, in the 54th, scored tries, there was a chance of a Crusaders revival, but it was short-lived. Moana, who have promised so much but not really achieved on the scoreboard this year, seized back the initiative and never let it go.
They’ve found a sweet balance between the physicality and daring of players like bruising centre Pepesana Patafilo, and the coolly calculating first five, Patrick Pellegrini. Their next match, at Albany on Saturday afternoon against the Waratahs will give a fascinating insight into how far Moana can go this season.
Player of the round
There were several brilliant performers over the weekend, but Moana’s captain Ardie Savea, even by his extraordinary standards, was astonishing. Two tries in the second and 16th minute set the match up for Moana. They were a reminder that if Savea has the ball five metres from the goal-line the scorekeeper can usually immediately write down “try”. It helps that Savea has huge strength and courage. What lifts him into a very special league is the cool thinking and decision-making that moves a player from very good to being a great of the game.
Into the fire
As the Crusaders brood over their loss, they’ll be looking to channel their disappointment into a determination to get back on track. It won’t be easy. Late on Saturday afternoon they’ll play the Drua in Suva. The Crusaders lost in Fiji by 10 points last year and in Scott Robertson’s last season, in 2023, by a point. The hope for fans in Christchurch is that if there was even an unconscious trace of overconfidence before the Moana game, that certainly won’t be the case when they head to Fiji.
The Wellington whipping
Where to start with the Hurricanes’ breathtaking 57-12 thrashing of the Waratahs in Wellington? With the fact that the score was an entirely accurate reflection of the gap between the two sides? Or that Du’Plessis Kirifi looks more like an All Black every time he plays? Or that Reuben Love too is pressing national claims as he makes an impressive comeback?
The Tahs aren’t mugs. They’re the second best team in Australia, which, as this season has shown, is not hollow praise, as with four, not five, Super teams, the Aussie squads are the strongest they’ve been for years.
But from the seventh minute, when their wing Kini Naholo scored the first of a hat-trick of tries, the Canes were a Mack truck, crushing all before them. Nobody epitomised that dominance more than hooker Asafo Aumua. In his second game after a return from a lower leg injury, he proved how ready he is to continue his 20-test All Blacks career, with clever work at the breakdown and smashing his way ahead with the ball.
Rocket man
Canes midfielder Bailyn Sullivan initially found himself marking the Tahs’ $5.7 million man, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. It’s possible Suaalii may have been secretly slightly pleased he didn’t have to go head-to-head with Sullivan too often. Sullivan’s tackling was at once totally legal, almost frightening in its ferocity, and so technically perfect the highlights of his defence would make an excellent training tackling video.
Back in the Heartbreak Hotel
Ahead by two points on Saturday night in Canberra against the Brumbies with just 10 minutes to play, the Highlanders looked ready to break this year’s drought against an Australian team. But a late burst of tries from Brumbies three-quarters Andy Muirhead and Len Ikitau took the home team to a 34-27 win. Hopefully for the Dunedin battlers, they may crack the 2025 Aussie hoodoo against the Force in Perth on Saturday.
It was a little disconcerting to see the scrum problems the Highlanders had in Canberra. To be fair, the Brumbies props are vastly experienced. James Slipper is the most-capped Wallaby, with 140 tests, and his propping partner Allan Alaalatoa has 66 test caps. Their expertise has to raise some questions about All Black Ethan de Groot, the Highlanders’ only All Blacks front-rower. De Groot has sometimes been his own worst enemy this season, becoming almost a penalty magnet in general play. In the right headspace, he’s a very good prop. Hopefully for the Landers, he’ll find that space soon.
On the bright side
There’s rarely been a time when New Zealand rugby has had so many classy wings. High on the list is Caleb Tangitau, a former New Zealand sevens star. Just turned 22, the former Westlake Boys’ High School player was born and brought up on the North Shore in Auckland. His move to Dunedin has hugely benefited him and the Highlanders.
