With Beauden Barrett offshore and Will Jordan ruled out by injury, outside contenders have a chance to impress All Blacks coach Scott Robertson in Super Rugby Pacific.
The only All Black to start in the 15 jersey at the weekend, the drums will beat loudly again this season for Stevenson to add to his solitary cap, which came against Australia in Dunedin last August.
It was a steady if unspectacular start for the 27-year-old against the Crusaders on Friday night. His running game brought him 77m while beating three defenders and, after supporting Damien McKenzie in open play from the halfway line (and despite his pass on the Crusaders 22 going to ground), he was credited with an assist for the Chiefs’ second try, scored by Xaiver Roe. Stevenson also provided the assist for their third try, giving the linking pass between McKenzie and Etene Nanai-Seturo from a move starting from a scrum close to the Crusaders tryline, and stepping up to convert that try.
He’ll have busier nights in defence but, equally, you can be pretty confident that before long he’ll be scoring tries and he’ll be hungry to get close to his total of 12 in the 2023 season.
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens left the Blues and their All Blacks-laden backline in pursuit of opportunity, and that’s exactly what he got with his Highlanders debut on Saturday night.
The 22-year-old showed his class in attack all night, beating 10 defenders and gaining 93m as he racked up two tries in Dunedin. His first, after 15 minutes, saw him employ some nifty footwork from about seven metres out and with his power, it was an excellent finish. The second saw him use his impressive pace after collecting a long Rhys Patchell pass just outside the Moana Pasifika 22; despite a good effort from Ere Enari, there was no stopping him.
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens’ passing and offload game were on point. He only needed to make one tackle all night; like Sullivan at the Blues, tougher tasks lie in wait in the season ahead.
After debuting for Wellington in 2020, Love quickly established himself as one of the brightest prospects in New Zealand rugby, equally adept at first five-eighths or fullback (he’s a handy cricketer, too), but a groin tear meant he only played eight minutes of the Hurricanes 2023 campaign.
Now the 22-year-old is back and new Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw threw him the No 15 jersey in Perth. He was involved early, taking a high kick cleanly close to halfway. Unfortunately, Force winger Harry Potter couldn’t magic up a well-timed tackle, leaving Love on the ground, but thankfully not injured.
After 20 minutes, Love played a major part in the Hurricanes’ second try, breaking the Force’s line in a move which finished with Jordi Viljoen scoring under the posts. Love gained 85m, beating three defenders and making two clean breaks. He made five of his six tackles, but crucially the one he missed was on Kiwi Chase Tiatia, who slipped through his grasp – the fullback being initially too narrow in defence – for the Force man to go over in the left-hand corner.
Sullivan made the Blues’ No 15 shirt his own last season, with nine starts at fullback, including the last six games of their season. Collecting five tries in 2023, he has already added another two from their first match of 2024. He scored his first after 20 minutes, with Rieko Ioane providing the pass to see Sullivan go over in the left-hand corner. His second, after 62 minutes came on the opposite flank, with Mark Telea the provider as Sullivan was the last man in line, waiting to finish the move off.
He carried strong, passed well and kicked when necessary. He only needed to make two tackles, but unfortunately missed one of them. There will be bigger tests ahead this season for the 23-year-old.
With Jordan gone for the season, along with Leigh Halfpenny’s chest injury (which is expected to rule out the former Welsh international for up to four months), the door opened a little for 23-year-old Fihaki. On Friday night, he kicked that door down pretty hard.
His first try came early in the second half as he collected a Rivez Reihana pass to barge his way over from less than 10m out. His second levelled the scores after 67 minutes when he picked up an inside ball from young lock Jamie Hannah to race 30m to add the five-pointer. At the back, there is work to do, as he missed two of his five tackles, but the Crusaders are yet again showing their back-three depth.