Andrew Horrell is a utility back with versatility, and after a rough 2015 season, the 27-year old will be looking to shine in what is potentially his last year in Super Rugby.
Horrell played 14 games for the Chiefs in a difficult 2015 season where the Chiefs just couldn’t garner any momentum and missed the playoffs after losing to the Highlanders in the final week of pool play.
Horrell was given the nod by Chiefs coach Dave Rennie to start at first five in that crucial do-or-die game, but Horrell struggled to provide any impetus and missed important points with the boot.
Rennie is a coach who tends to pick on experience rather than current form, so the selection of Horrell in that match didn’t come as a big surprise.
It was the Chiefs third loss to the Highlanders that season; the Highlanders would go on to win the Super Rugby title just weeks later.
Horrell first caught the attention of the Chiefs coaches back in 2011 when he was the leading point scorer in the ITM Cup. Horrell was playing for Hawkes Bay then and ended the season with 152 points, taking his province to the championship in the process.
Horrell would make his debut for the Chiefs in Super Rugby the very next season and immediately became part of the back-to-back title-winning dynasty that saw the club be transformed into an expectant title favourite going forward.
In 2015, Horrell had a poor kicking success rate of just over 50%.
In August, it was announced that Horrell had re-signed with the Chiefs for one more Super Rugby campaign.
Horrell must find the consistent form of past years to convince both Dave Rennie and the New Zealand public that he can be relied on in do-or-die situations with playoff rugby on the line.
But like it was in 2015, Rennie will have many more playmaker options available to him than Horrell. With the continuing emergence of Damian McKenzie, not only do the Chiefs have a solid goal kicking option, they also have a first five or fullback (in McKenzie) who can break the line from anywhere on the field and is currently riding a high wave of good form and popularity.
All Black first five Aaron Cruden will also return from injury in February, and with Stephen Donald signing for the Chiefs, this brings a fourth potential kicking option.
Horrell is a good midfield option, but at Super Rugby level, he hasn’t done enough to suggest he is a capable starter at first five. Horrell is only 27, and his potential of becoming an All Black is still very real, but time is fast running out.
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