The 2015 Investec Super Rugby continued with Round 11 involving all 5 New Zealand teams (the Sharks observed a BYE)
In this round, for New Zealand and Australian sides there was special recognition toward ANZAC Day. A national holiday on both sides of the Tasman, it was significant in that it was the 100th anniversary of the ‘Australia New Zealand Army Corps’ who landed on the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey. That bond forged in war has united both our nations, Anzac Day celebrating all who have served in the Armed Forces before and of special meaning to our countries. Such a significant occasion, as Sanzar only permits national anthems to be played for this single round. Each match had a recalling of the Last Post, a minutes silence in their honor and both countries national anthems.
As well as that respectful tribute to fallen heroes, several key matches would determine who sat at the top of each conference table by the completion of this round.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 11 – NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
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Match : The Chiefs v The Western Force
Venue : Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Score : 35-27
When a key player is struck down by sudden injury, it can be a real test for any side. Last week, Aaron Cruden suffered a demoralizing and season ending knee injury. A scenario that had Chiefs administration, coaching staff and pretty much every NZ rugby fan worried and feeling for the 26 year old. Common knowledge that we have a wealth of top-tier first-fives in our national team, but Cruden was key to not only the Rugby Championship and World Cup planning, but a key member of The Chiefs side. So when such a key player is removed from future selection, Sports Talk radio stations get a higher number of calls and paranoia levels rise.
The fact not only the All Blacks, but also The Chiefs have ample alternatives is due to necessity, rather than a luxury. Reacting to his loss we all made our personal choices on who to replace him, with the likes of Damian McKenzie and Andrew Horrell being popular nominees but coach Dave Rennie went with proven ITM Cup form and started with big-brother Marty McKenzie [from championship winning side Taranaki] While that selection was smart and secure, facing the Perth based Force was far from a secure win – look who upset The Chiefs in 2014. For them, visiting Hamilton was possibly an opportunity with all the internal issues facing them. True, but Force have lost 8 matches in succession and even if The Chiefs are not invincible, it was ‘that time of the year’ and with key players Cruden out with injury and captain Liam Messam on enforced All Blacks rest, they were a little bit vulnerable.
Fans sitting in bars and clubs back in Western Australia would have been up in their seats early, as bragging rights went to the visitors first. Striking early was the perfect start and coach Michael Foley was delighted how the Force were able to open up the defence and crash over through Angus Cottrell to take a slim lead. Not so happy in the other coaches box mind you, would have been Chiefs technical advisor Wayne Smith. But patience is something his side utilize best and soon enough, some wonderful build-up work saw the impressive Charlie Ngatai take the advantage quickly away from The Force. Boom!
Big moments in a match are all important, but the next big call was from referee Angus Gardiner, who had no choice but to reach into his pocket when Tim Nanai-Williams was up-ended in a poorly executed tip-tackle. Their tackling had been fierce all night, but Force halfback Ian Prior was overly aggressive when facing the nimble Nanai-Williams. That reduced his side to 14 men, a feeling the home side have known all too well themselves and resulted in a dominant end to the first half – McKenzie converted the red-card penalty and then Hikawera Elliot crossed to make it 23-8 when the sides retired. In the lead, The Chiefs would have wanted to stick to their structures more and work on confirming their 4th try bonus point before planning on inserting reserves early. On the other side, calls would go out to retain possession, maintain control and look to hold-out The Chiefs.
Well, that might have been the plan. Trying to hold down The Chiefs, the visitors were guilty of ‘holding’ and with a scrum 15 metres out, Gardner made the bold decision to call a Penalty Try because their front row seemed fall apart too cynically. That extended the lead and was an ominous moment for The Force but to their credit, they tackled vigorously and snuffed out many Chiefs runs and it looked to be very even out there on the park. Even more so when The Force got an overturned ball and wing Sias Ebershon worked the ball up field and Luke Morahan stunned the crowd into silence with a breakout try. Good reward, and Chiefs fans now just hoped their warriors would punish a 14 man side. Still, nobody had told Matt Hodgson. From a lineout drive only 10 metres out, with help from wingers and centres pushing alongside forwards, they amazed the hosts further by crashing through with a the driving maul. Fine stuff, and it was “Game On”.
The Chiefs seemed to go “off the boil” as Nigel Yalden stated on RadioSport, and without some cool heads it might have got away from other teams, until a determined Nanai-William beat five defenders to resurrect his sides fortunes. Wow, magical feet, the bonus point was achieved and while not their best work they were just too tough in the end withstanding a barrage by The Force in the last few minutes. So very close [35-27] they maybe deserved to take away more losing bonus points but a key conversion was off target. Close, but still another loss that keeps them firmly placed at the bottom of the competition ladder.
Up at the other end of the table (until The Hurricanes had played Sunday afternoon) this 2015 Chiefs side had just avoided a calamity. Stand-in captain Matt Symons rued a lack of composure and the calming influence of ‘Crudes’. Possibly understandable with senior leadership missing, but they must learn from this and regain that same professional approach they had the week before. The first-five position might still be up for discussion as McKenzie (a) defended well and (b) provided his powerful centre pairing with front-foot ball, but it was only a Pass mark. Horrell maybe used next, as he has the better kicking game but Rennie could stay loyal to see if their trip to Melbourne buoys his side and they stick to their systems better than they did Friday night. If not, The Rebels will strike with more ‘force’ then the Western Australians very nearly did.
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Match : The Brumbies v The Highlanders
Venue : GIO Stadium, Canberra
Score : 31-18
Travelling to the Australian Capital, it was a tough ask for the Dunedin based side. While the famous Canberra cold would not deter them, influence from All Blacks level had removed key ammunition from The Highlanders weaponry; Aaron Smith, Malakai Fekiatoa and Ben Smith rested, and sports betting fans might have placed money on the home side to have more ‘guns’ at their disposal. That proved correct, but you can’t wholly make an argument that Jamie Joseph’s hand was forced to the detriment of his sides Super Rugby Round 11 chances. It had been policy since pre-season, so planning on when to actually rest representative players would have been on his season planner for quite sometime. It might have been that he chose The Brumbies because it might have been a logical game to select.
Selections and rugby politics aside, the Anzac ceremonies had a special feeling because of being in the state capital, a formal sense of respect hung over the ground and the match kicked off to applause for each sides. Henry Speight had returned for his side after injury, so there were dangers aplenty but it was an outstanding welcome back when he crossed for a try within 5 minutes. Occurring due to poor ball management between a new 9-10 combination, Christian Lealiifano grabbed onto the pill and David Pocock set-up Speight to make it 7-0 very early. The Highlanders may have been a little too frantic and that was compounded when a short lineout move recorded a try to Pocock soon after. He was showing some form of old, surprising many and Nasi Manu needed to bring his troops into line or the routing of his defenses would reflect their bad habit of letting points in early.
He would have been upset by their lack of territory, constantly having to be up in the line and his side had to withstand many more attacks than they were able to create themselves. The Brumbies had real intent, sustaining that effort for long periods. The only respite was the breaks in play due to errors and Lima Sopoaga was having a nightmare. Under the microscope of NZ rugby; due to Aaron Cruden’s untimely season ending injury, he might have been too cautious and the opposition only needed a slight chance to again go deep into the Bluezone. A near carbon copy of the first try from Pocock reinforced the accuracy of this Brumbies team. A 91% success rate at lineout time, Stephen Moore captains a team who use setpiece with deadly impunity. Score 22-6 after 26 minutes.
Things only got worse, with a Manu penalty seeing another kick into the corner placing the home side within striking distance yet again. The guests found themselves acting out the film Groundhog Day, as again they were powerless to prevent Pocock earning a hat-trick in the first half. Such compelling play was textbook perfect, a reflection on the technical prowess of coach Stephen Larkhams group. They were tying down the visitors and had been truly dominant to score 31 points to just 6 from The Highlanders. They were in dire straits and it called for some metal, some fortitude and like they say in Southland “a bit of Mongrel”.
They went on the offensive early thankfully, holding the ball for multiple phases that resulted in a barrage up to the home sides try line. One off runners collided with a strict defensive line until with only a metre to go, midfielder Shaun Treeby offered some impetus and burrowed over. A good answer, it might have been role-reversal time as they themselves kicked to the corner and worked a lineout to mirror how The Brumbies had scored points. Taking that same route, The Highlanders collected themselves and fired back with a powerful driving maul to earn Northland loosie Dan Pryor another try in 2015.
Within 13 points, it was encouraging but a good side like The Brumbies know how to absorb pressure and even as mistakes invaded their play sometimes, they were cool, calm and collected. On offense, Speight looked as though he were about to collect a brace if he was able to control the football. Fingertip stuff, that fumble seemed to galvanize his team mates and besides sustained phase-play that very nearly resulted in more points to The Highlanders, the home side were too organised in their defense.
While Brumbies had amassed enough of a buffer to allow them to be in control, they would be happy as their stars are now performing, including a fast improving Jessie Mogg. That early points haul was all too much, and while the spirited Highlanders tried hard with a true fighting Anzac spirit, it was a battle they could not win. Maybe it was preordained through selection policy, but it seemed like they froze on the ‘big stage’ – just like the final rounds of 2014. They are not effective in countering sides and with a huge battles ahead of them in The Sharks next round, I hope they recall some armor to input that direction and smooth out their combinations [that were lacking] This will test the Southern men, though I’m sure they are motivated to show their fans that they have learned from previous seasons mistakes.
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Match : The Crusaders v The Blues
Venue : AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Score : 29-15
Storied rivalries exist in all sports: Boston Celtics v LA Lakers, Real Madrid v Barcelona, Essendon v Hawthorn and in Super Rugby, there is The Crusaders v The Blues. Played 25 times, with the hosts holding a slender 14/11 lead after twenty seasons. Every contest is tense, despite their standings on the ladder. As the song goes “When two tribes go to War” we are all on the edges of our seats and being Super Rugby Round 11, this seasons draw funnily meant this was in fact their first derby match. Being Anzac Day only added to the drama.
Like many of my rugby mates, we have been perplexed by this away side. Their form lies between ‘average to worse’ but teams react to their opposition, and to face The Crusaders at home you need to start well everytime. John Kirwan had made eight critical changes to his team, with Keven Mealamu slipping back into hooking role as well as leading the side in Jerome Kaino’s enforced All Blacks absense. The message would have been to front-up, but it was a commanding start from the home side who played with composure and pace to be first on the board.
They shipped the ball left because that is where Nemani Nadolo is located, and on this night The Crusaders played their cards right from the beginning. Poorly used a week earlier, spreading the ball to his flank, he easily fed Ryan Crotty who held the ball in front of him and released young Mitchell Drummond to cross early. They sure had learnt their lessons and that early positive mindset continued shortly after when a lineout on the right-hand-side set in motion a movement across the field. Very nearly intercepted, Colin Slade showed quick wits to thread the ball wide and with 2 men to beat, Nadolo looked to have lined them up. “Surprise, surprise” a lovely deft pass benefited Jordan Taufua to score. Beautiful play from the Fijian, in the fact he drew and passed so effectively he would be a threat all game.
Two early strikes had dented this Blues side, and if they didn’t start to play some footy it could get ugly during JK’s halftime speech (again) but credit must go to the Blues team. A better second quarter, they withstood some penetrating surges by the hosts to reply with class when a planned move resulted in former All Black Francis Saili punching through The Crusaders line to show that they did have some firepower to play with.
Not ones to panic, Kieran Read and coach Todd Blackadder steadied their men at halftime. Ahead just 17-10, it would take more resolve to keep the visitors down, while in the visitors changing room Kirwan would have congratulated his side on retaining their lines and on a fine effort. They still had work to do, and for them that job began badly when minutes after the restart loose ball was badly protected and a mis-kicked effort was spread out to the left again. On his 40 metre line, Nadolo used the sideline to beat Frank Halai and get the ball inside to Tom Taylor to finish a terrific movement. The crowd went wild (literally) and it was Super stuff at AMI Stadium.
Often it is the individual performances that take the limelight, and so often in 2015 individual infringements and poor discipline seem to be critical factors in matches. Again, it was highlighted when subbed halfback Jamison Gibson-Park failed to allow the player on the ground to release the ball, and earned the wrath of the referee. Cynical play, he would have the sat idly by as his team were pushed around by the more aggressive Crusaders. Their forwards were working in unison, stealing a lot of lineouts and charging into their work. A push down field saw them change direction quickly to maximize the lessened Blues defense and score a great bonus point try. One of the better team tries of the weekend, it was pleasing that Richie McCaw shared the final pass of the movement for Codie Taylor to bound over the line. McCaw needed that to build his, and all of ours confidence. He very nearly scored a solo try, only being called back due to an offside call.
What he didn’t need (and neither did the NZ rugby public) was the shuddering collision he had with Lolagi Visinia’s hip that saw the All Black leader suffer what looked to be concussion. Left floundering on the grass, the ball was spread well by The Blues to then score smartly at the opposite end of the park. Quick medical attention rushed McCaw off the field and his night was over too early. A real concern post-match, his side were not put off by that incident and kept the pressure on to withstand an upset Blues team. Once Gibson-Park went off, they couldn’t fight back and while he returned, even the introduction of Tevita Li could not help them gain a losing bonus point.
Impressive work from The Crusaders, it is not going to change the fact two losses recently have them sitting below The Waratahs now on the table, fighting to stay within a wildcard finals spot. This ‘necessary win’ will be of huge benefit. Dismissing a Blues side who showed glimpses of quality, it was built on their strengths. Slade is better supported by Dan Carter now (not in competition with each other) and the leading try scorers in Super Rugby Round 11 must continue to exercise that fierce strike power. Besides Nadolo, they can use their powerful forwards to beat-up the opposition, finish them off out wide but they will face a stiff test next round when the meet the high-flying Hurricanes away from home. That will be a true test of character. For me, match of the round is next Saturday night at the Caketin.
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Match : The Queensland Reds v The Hurricanes
Venue : Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Score : 19-35
An armed Queensland Reds team awaited the leading New Zealand rugby side. Armed due to the enthusiastic Anzac re-enactment supporters dressed in full Army regalia, who came armed with “all Tanks blazing”. Very animated in fact, something we normally expect from Suncorp fans in Brisbane. Located close to the famous Castlemaine brewery of course, it was a liberally supportive crowd you could assume. The afternoon game timing is a little foreign to Kiwi’s but The Hurricanes had recently played in the late afternoon [losing to The Waratahs at home] so besides the time difference, we hoped they had adjusted better to the conditions and playful crowd support.
This Conrad Smith led team were playing to retain number one position in the competition. Closer in the points count now were The Chiefs, so if this side did receive that same daytime rugby result, they surely needed to be wary of facing a side with the likes of James O’Connor and Lachie Turner directing their attack. Good forwards with talented backs is a pretty good combination, and it was a worthy challenge but in the end a more energetic Wellington based side outplayed the locals. More than a game-of-two-halves, it was a determined side that came out for the second half, endeavoring to collect full Super Rugby Round 11 points on offer. A much better performance overall, they looked to improve through-out the match.
The final score amounted to a combined 55 points, with some flashes of brilliance scattered in amongst some mild play. If the visitors had strung together more ball in the last ten minutes in fact, they could have hit 50 points alone and while The Reds did bring there ‘A’ game, it was not prolonged so the balance of the match went from 60/40 after 25 minutes to 35/65 by the second half and The Hurricanes gained in the ascendancy. Once they clicked, it was up to them how well they would end the match. It matched their standings on the ladder too so was not a total surprise.
The battering of the early stages would change to a more frantic pace as soon as the ball was shared out to big Samu Kerevi. Using his size and elusiveness to slip past Smith to cross for the first of his two tries, it was a telling blow. Not that the ‘Canes were shabby in defense, far from it. They just had too many peaks-and-troughs to make an impression early, and then as quickly as the first, Kerevi got the ball again and made them pay once more. Seemingly smashing it up the middle, he stepped Ma’a Nonu and Ben Franks to clamber over, and it was soon 12-6 and The Hurricanes of old might have been spooked.
But differently from their last two games, this Hurricanes team steadied themselves, drew a deep breath and soon ‘tore it up the middle’. Smith, Nonu and TJ Perenara added their class to bring some respectability back to the scoreline, and they played provider again to free up Callum Gibbins not long after. Going into the halftime break, they might have looked the more confident side but they still needed to watch themselves against an wily home side. And that proved to be true, with Liam Gill becoming the hero momentarily with a dot-down under the posts. Scores were now 19-23, but “speak too soon” as the saying goes because it was a case of ‘lazy running’ that caught the attention of the officials. He called an offside play by Gill and drew out the Yellow card penalty (insert aussie expletives)
So the second half was more eventful, but it was also tense and had many ‘let downs’. If this Hurricanes team are to go far in this competition, they’ll need to adapt faster. They face The Crusaders next-up and if they again let in tries like they have been doing [14 tries coming into the encounter] then they’ll face a hard road to the finals. Once they countered the fight in this Reds side; Perenara crossing for a second and Julian Savea adding to his grand tally, they should have carried on and ‘turned the screws’ harder. They need to be more ruthless in their finishing, and that is where they are lacking for some.
Instant gratification is entertaining, but the most successful Super sides have been leaders, they have been punishing and have put away sides often. If The Hurricanes of 2015 are to go right to the finals, they need to be calculating in their winning formula. They must start as they mean to go on, and the tests that are approaching them next will challenge their calibre.
Crusaders, Sharks and then The Chiefs will be a “big ask” for them over the next month and a measure of any champion team. Glimpses tonight yes, they withstood pressure, have matured and their coaching staff are imprinting a refinement on their side. I suggested at the beginning of the year if this team could ‘get through’ the season; with all that associated distraction of having an All Black filled backline, then they will be outside favorites for the title. I still believe in that prediction, I still see the good in the ‘Canes. Give them 3 weeks of hard toil and most of the Super Rugby world will know where they stand too.
For them, its either first or bust which is a great policy for some. #GoHard as they mention on Twitter, Kia Kaha as in our Maori culture and ‘Where Eagles Dare’ as in our proud Armed Forces credo, all these elements might act to motivate this side to greater heights than any Hurricanes team has been before. Lets just wait and see what happens – it’s more exciting that way.
Note: James Broadhurst has been issued with a formal warning from the Citing Comissioners office. Post the match, and upon further review of match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed a Citing Commissioner Warning was appropriate.
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NZ conference standings | Hurricanes (Position 1st) 38 points | Chiefs (4th) 37 | Highlanders (6th) 28 | Crusaders (9th) 25 | Blues (13th) 11
Future fixtures – Friday 1st May : Highlanders v Sharks, Dunedin | Saturday 2nd May : Blues v Force, Auckland 5:30pm | Hurricanes v Crusaders, Wellington 7:35pm | Rebels v Chiefs, Melbourne 9:40pm
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