The 2015 Investec Super Rugby season continued with a massive five games involving New Zealand sides. (The Brumbies observed a BYE round)
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 7 – NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
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Match : The Hurricanes v The Melbourne Rebels
Venue : Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Score : 36-12
Funny enough, this would be The Hurricanes first home game (due to Cricket World Cup fixtures) and New Zealand sports fans were still buzzing from a midweek match won by the Black Caps that had seen the national team put their name into the ICC World Cup final in Melbourne. So there was a subtle irony for the locals and players to decipher – was this a prelude, with two great sporting cities facing off?
For me, it was more likely to be the one of those many parties held in this terrific waterfront stadium over this summer. It has hosted the Sevens, Football and Cricket and now, the hottest ticket in town the winning Hurricanes. And how could it not be, such a great run of 5 wins in a row from this home side, this match could either help re-point the visitors competition standing with an upset win [currently 10th, and 3rd best Australian conference side] but certainly for locals the fact it was their first home match, Conrad Smith’s 50th match as Captain as well as TJ Perenara’s 50th cap, then the only question was “who brought the cake and party poppers?”
The ‘Caketin’ can often seem an empty old ground, but there was an impressive local crowd on hand for this match and the opening passage of play mainly favored The Hurricanes. No fireworks or magic early tries this week, but as common the visitors would at first sit back and judge the game before mounting any decent offense. Not surprisingly, Scott Higginbotham was his ever reliable ‘niggly’ self, the most effective and visible of The Rebels. Even with some ball to use and an early penalty, ball was never retained for them to promote any significant attack. While on the counter, this Hurricanes side are sometimes the only barrier to themselves scoring – incomplete phases cost them early, until celebrating halfback Perenara was freed by some good fringe attack. The lead-up to his try started with a good injection of pace by ex-Rebel Jason Woodward, Victor Vito and Ma’a Nonu played their part to provide this young halfback to celebrate with gusto. A fitting reward for his many years of toil with this Wellington side.
With Beauden Barrett being rested under the All Blacks provision, James Marshall was directing play and had good consultation from his established backline, a storming pack to rely on who were secure in holding a fine Rebels side. If they were not as adventurous as the crowd had wanted, it was due to many penalty calls that made The Hurricanes slightly ‘gun shy’. Mike Harris was there to punish the home side for their infringements, taking his team out to a 10-12 lead after a demanding first half. The Rebels were sometimes clinical, that they might move the ball 40 metres forward only to lose momentum or for a ‘Cane player to remove their initiative. Whether up in the coaches boxes, there would be as many positives taken from the first 40 minutes, you might believe the visitors were more comfortable than Chris Boyd might have liked. He would want his charges to be more thorough, complete their set-moves, kick and chase better and be assertive in tight. They would want to make changes to their attitude, and on the restart it seemed to be the right message.
Patience may have paid dividends for The Rebels, but they needed to attack and the only thing preventing them from scoring first was poor ball control, and if you give The Hurricanes an inch, they’ll run the ball 80 metres to score at the other end – Cory Jane being the recipient of their ability to spread the ball, and hold on to it [in this instance]. And it must have given them the confidence boost they needed, as the visitors often challenged over the next ten or so minutes. Met with a determined defense, possession was highly prized and the ‘Canes came close many times until Man of the Match Callum Gibbins benefited from a wicked bounce of the ball. Unfortunate Rebels wing Sefenaia Naivalu will watch the replay in disgust, as he let the ball bounce away from him, then knocked the ball back into a welcoming Hurricane players hands to take the score out to 24-12. Compelling play from the team in yellow, with substitutes now taking affect, the game went from good to bad, infringements and strong tackling halting any sustained attack from either side. To make things worse, Perenara bore the brunt of a yellow card for ‘over-exuberant’ defense. Reaching for a ball leaving the ruck, his timing was shocking and he put his team mates under extreme pressure.
The fact they withstood that period of added pressure, and in fact scored themselves was a compliment to this 2015 side. It took a great deal of effort, but it exercised the intensity required by champion sides and Conrad Smith was reported by ESPN as saying “It was pivotal because if they’d scored again they would have got within seven points and it would have been a real arm-wrestle,” Hurricanes skipper Conrad Smith said. “The fact we worked our way out and then scored ourselves, that was the game. The fact we did it with 14 was the most pleasing part of the game for me.”
The final minutes of the match was dominated by The Hurricanes attacking The Rebels line to achieve a deserved 4th try. With Nehe Milner-Skudder on the field, it was a fine reward for this debutant Super Rugby player to cross the line, and boy were they all jubilant for him and for their continued success. Not only that, but with their tails up, Hurricane pressure bore a 5th try to Milner-Skudder and he, along with Woodward, Proctor and Marshall, show the next generation of players coming through the Wellington franchise. Those players will be wealthier for this encounter, while a desolate Rebels camp will now need to fight harder for any chance of retaining their position in the conference.
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Match : The Chiefs v The Cheetahs
Venue : Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Score : 37-27
I still love afternoon rugby in New Zealand (just never get enough of it) It’s where you can prepare all day, fans head down to the park and after the hooter sounds, can be home at a decent hour; or carry on into the night if you choose too. What’s not to love about rugby when you can have all these elements supported by a quality game between two high-class teams. Chiefs were outright favorites (no doubt) but The Free State Cheetahs can alarm any side with their aggression, resilience and element of surprise. So it was another belter in Round 7 of this years competition, both teams put on quite a show.
Changes to the home side matched Dave Rennie’s trend of resting his squad through-out a long season. He was without Hikawera Elliot for a disciplinary punishment handed him after the brutal Sharks match, so Quentin MacDonald assumed the role of hooker. On a side note: captain Liam Messam had been ruled not to committed a chargable offense (not an illegal tackle) then late in the week, Chiefs announced that Seta Tamanivalu would be a replacement for injured Charlie Ngatai, to accompany the returning Sonny Bill Williams. That would also change the midfield planning of The Cheetahs, who could well have targeted new players, like young Damian McKenzie entering at fullback. While Chiefs lock Mike Fitzgerald was celebrating his 50 caps, the opposition have good weaponry in their side too, its just the way they use it that can dictate the result. Key decision makers too would direct the men from Africa, with the ever reliable Henrich Brussow being one of them.
In the game the week prior against The Crusaders, this side pushed the champion Super Rugby side for a good 45 minutes before they lost their dynamo fullback Willie le Roux to a card, and ultimately the match. They wouldn’t want that to occur again, so with Clayton Blommetjies replacing le Roux you had to imagine they would need their minds fixed firmly on the game from the outset. Not so, with broken play just after kick-off, The Chiefs were more alert and SBW set-up Michael Leitch to score within one minute of the matches start. A splintering run, it showed the worth of the man who had been missing for The Sharks defeat. Two penalty kicks brought The Cheetahs back into the match, and scores and possession closed for a time, but it was again the home side taking advantage of some messy play as the Chiefs skipper busted them open to cross the line. A popular All Black and leader of this franchise, when Messam crossed for the second try of the night the collective roar of approval was overwhelming. Set with this fine example, it was looking ominous that his side were about to gel until those ‘technicalities’ began to mount against his side. It was Fitzgerald who felt the referees glare first (it could have been Paulisi Manu or Matt Symans) A stretch for a yellow card call, or was it a message? Sanzar administration want to send signals and might now be ready to over-penalise sides.
Much had been made of discipline from The Chiefs, so in this sides mind was the need to reduce exposure to Yellow, or Red cards. Yes, while that was the gameplan originally, but the proof would be harder to follow and the count began far too early and got even worse in the 33rd minute when prop Ben Tameifuna was confounded (as were Chiefs coaching staffs) as he was judged to have not entered the gate correctly. It was a close call, but ‘interpretation’ is an all important factor today in professional rugby. Down to 13 men due to Fitzgerald’s infraction, how the Chiefs reacted would be a test but they didn’t have time to complain, as The Cheetahs reacted naturally to being a player up [two players to begin with] and they strung together a positive movement that simply outran the defenders. Painfully felt by all The Chiefs players, just a single point in front on the scoreboard at halftime, Messam would have been relieved that his side held-out for the remainder of the half without forgoing that lead.
The next half was an improvement, but still scrappy. You could not blame the surface or the lack of skills training that players embark on all week, so incomplete passing was a nuisance to deal with. If the ball had been retained for many more phases of play it could have resulted in more tries and again, this will be their homework over the next week. Cruden was efficient tonight, striking penalties to lead them out to a 23-20 lead by the 60th minute – notwithstanding a strong Brussow try to bring the scores close, but he too suffered the ignominy when he too was binned. The card-bug was catching, and when faced with that numbers advantage The Chiefs upped their work rates and looked to the go-to-guy for that situation = Sam Cane. Barnestorming as normal, he followed up yet again and scored his third try of 2015. And being so close to their bonus point win, The Cheetahs failed to defend their line, Andrew Horrell crossed for a fine try and the crowd knew that it put their side further up the ladder in Round 7.
Scrappy, Rennie will not be happy with it. Nigel Yalden, of RadioSport commented that “one or three of these players may not be in the squad next weekend, after that display” He might be right, as we saw too much loose play and these ‘technicalities’ that place The Chiefs in number one position for cards received. The tactics seem confusing for players and risks interpretation issues. Get it wrong, either a penalty or at worst a card can bring less benefits than it might have been worth.
That is something for the organisation to ponder, but the game went their way. A win it might have been but if facing a different side, would the penalty be zero points and a step backwards? So they need to look closely at themselves in 2015. To reach The Hurricanes standards, improvement is needed and look closely at their tactics and finer details in their interpretation.
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Match : The Highlanders v The Stormers
Venue : Forsyth-Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Score : 39-21
This final match in a sequence of 5 home games (including the away win against The Chiefs) for the home side, would be the icing on the cake for The Highlanders if they could withstand a travelling Stormers side. After a loss to the high-flying Hurricanes a week earlier, it was a critical game for both sides. Being their first match on a New Zealand tour, this proud South African side deserves respect, with their hero Schalk Burger celebrating his 100th Super Rugby match – it would be a real test of southern character to hold out the visitors.
The only struggle early was in continuity, as both sides tried to pierce the others line, messy play and close-quarter tackling was hard to break out from and the forward struggle was torrid. Missing their leader Duane Vermeulen and it showed, they were one-dimensional in attack and never looked threatening in the backs whereas, The Highlanders backs are in great form and looked the more interested in using what possession they could receive from their determined pack. The one highlight was Highlanders fly-half Lima Sopoaga who picked off an intercept but a looping pass was put down by Naholo and a try went begging.
It was left to The Stormers to take the early ascendancy, with Juan de Jongh crossing first inside 20 minutes. That might have been the trigger that the home side needed, as the bounce of the ball now favored them and the resulting 20 minutes of play was spell bounding for fans of open, running rugby.
As has been regular this season, it opened with Aaron Smith masterly using his possession advantage to go in close to the goalpost for [another] smart try. That got the team rolling and a penalty made the scores 10-7 and not soon after, Waisake Naholo sighted the opposition ball and his 55 metre intercept try made right his earlier fumble. In a matter of minutes, he collected a second from a knocked down kick and was allowed to run, not a good idea and he seemily barged his way over Cheslin Kolbe in a Lomu’esque manner in scoring on the stroke of halftime. The sideline conversion made it 24-7 at the break. How important place kicking is, but The Highlanders were adding points in seven and looked happy in their efforts.
Jamie Joseph would be happy with the comeback, but quite wary of The Stormers territorial advantage. He would have asked his troops to hold the bold away from the Cape Town side and to spread it wide. All season, the wingers have been impressive component so why not use your main attributes more. They must build-in habits of using those form players, with Ben Smith being the link that binds this backline.
The opening period of the second half was virtually all Highlanders and good use of that possession resulted in lethal finishing by Patrick Osbourne, who must now be included in the All Blacks minds as a great option in the pool stages of Rugby World Cup. He received the ball close to the line, and you’d bet your house on him beating defenders to cross it. With that firepower they wreaked havoc at times and the Highlanders know they can keep getting the ball wide and success will most likely follow. The only negative was a cynical yellow card penalty from the home town halfback, and without his barking influence during that time a number of Stormers attacks were held-up by a stoic defense. Much of their attack revolves around Burger and a dominant scrum, but replacement first-five Kurt Coleman had the desired affect, and after a good build-up Michael Rhodes rumbled over from close range.
While that brought the scores back to 31-14, it seemed above The Stormers abilities to regain that points gap and it proved all too much when ‘Landers substitute Dan Pryor was rewarded with a fine run-in for a try that sealed the match. It showed how the attacking style was working for the Dunedin based side, now entering [their 2nd] bye week over the Easter holidays. We hope the players stay away from the chocolate and concentrate on maximizing their standing on the Super Rugby ladder. This quality run of 4 wins out of 5 matches has positioned them as the third best NZ side and places them fifth overall and round 7. Well placed to be a wildcard semi-finalist.
For The Stormers, it is the second time they could not celebrate a century of matches for a player (Jean de Villiers suffered the same fate in 2014) and now they need to play the high-flying Hurricanes on Good Friday. They might pray for some more parity, though a returning Vermeulen should assist them with that objective. It will be up to them to outplay the leading side which will be a big ask. They looked a well drilled side who may just need to ‘chance their arm’ in attack more often.
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Match : The Waratahs v The Blues
Venue : Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Score : 23-11
To be fair, this analysis will be short. That is not in disrespect to The Waratahs, but more in the fact that “try, try, try as hard as they can” this Blues side is becoming more like a Nursery Rhyme than a Super Rugby side.
Many are calling The Waratahs a ‘scrappy, un-focused’ side who might fail to reach the semi finals if they continue to play as they have. In this match, dreadful handling should have seen a more confident Blues side open them up. But fortunately for the New South Wales side, their opposition are so distracted by results, they’ve become less able to confidently attack a side who aren’t playing well – because they too are not playing very well. The game was bookend by good set-play from The Waratahs, opening soon with Kurtley Beale passing superbly to a running Michael Hooper, who shared a flat pass to a thankful Nick Phipps. That opening try should have been a catalyst for the remaining match, but too many penalties, too much muddling around and a great number of dropped ball and missed opportunity let the home side down.
The Blues had chosen to insert new pivot Daniel Bowden, now recovered from a foot injury and weighted with the call to reinvent their attack. That’s a lot of expectation, and you could see that in his play. Smart for sure, but he was presented with ball that gave him less options to release the backline. He kicked as well as Ihaia West, so the change was not as immediate as fans would have wanted. Defensively, they were strong and big-hits received pats on the back and seemed to draw strength out of the more favored Waratahs. They used rolling mauls to their advantage, but a try was denied by a forward pass and they soon had their hands-on-hips in frustration. Peppered by penalties, they were soon warned by the referee and that closed out the half with a close score of 7-6.
Defense again halted much Waratahs attack and surprisingly, after a circling bomb that brought The Blues into striking distance, former All Black Francis Sailai repaid his earlier mistakes with a handy try thanks to stand-out player Charles Piutau and two Waratahs player colliding into each other. How The Blues achieved a 7-11 lead was anyone’s guess, but what was lacking at that point was any directive for the home side. Bernard Foley is looking more insular in his game and that will be of real concern to coach Michael Cheika. Yes, they soon regained the lead through Blues indiscretion, but it was less than satisfactory and even substitutes soon created additional ‘clutter’. No team had the instant reward that a sub should normally bring with them (it might be that there are just too many of them sometimes) and to make matters worse Jerome Kaino was sinbinned for a high tackle. He will wake kicking himself for sure, as they might have fancied a chance of a win, or at least another losing bonus point.
Will Skelton made sure The Blues left unrewarded when he offloaded to Peter Beatham and that embellished The Waratahs score. They were ineffective for much of the match; a turnaround from the week earlier, meanwhile The Blues are saturated with self-doubt. Its hard to imagine them now facing a Chiefs side in New Plymouth with any chance of an upset. The only upset will be if they retain Bowden at first-five, who looked out of his depth. West should move into the 10 shirt, Bowden into 12 and Saili or Moala then compete for a centre spot. But change is futile when you’ve not got the aggresion and attacking flair to go for victory. They look meek, and that is hard for any fan to admit to [a real shame when it all sounded so promising in February launch mode] Much different in the light of Sydney and the real world of Round 7, Investec Super Rugby.
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Match : The Bulls v The Crusaders
Venue : Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Score : 31-19
In sport, repercussions of your actions come back to haunt you. Its the psychology of all games that something you practiced long and hard at, provides you with equal opportunity as it does ignominy and heartache. Andy Ellis had two of those moments when in this game he seemed to ‘kick away points’. I’m not being personal here either, as its all part of a game that seemed to get away from The Crusaders early and played well into The Blue Bulls hands. From the first few minutes spectacular play, until Handre Pollard confirmed his status as top points scorer in Super Rugby, safely kicking his team out to a safe 12 point win.
The match-log says that Francois Hougaad scored in the 3rd minute; which in itself is not a record, but the second try to Burger Odendaal within 8 minutes was a key indicator of where this game was heading towards. The fact Ellis had two kicks charged down leading to both tries takes nothing away from the attacking options of The Bulls. With such a fast and game-altering beginning, being 12 points down after 12 minutes would have impacted on any team. Crusaders fans might have been wiping their eyes in disbelief, to be sure they weren’t still dreaming as it was still only 5am in New Zealand. It meant their side would need to “pull something out of the bag” for victory.
Pulsating rugby union football followed and it is a credit to this group of players fitness that after 80 minutes, they were still running rampant and defending earnestly to the last. The Crusaders certainly fought through-out the match, and for some periods were dominant; Israel Dagg, Daniel Carter and Kieran Read all looking particularly strong, and they even lead briefly after a magnificent try to bulky winger Nemani Nadolo. His try would be a high-point, as he used the sideline and his size to push past his opposite Hougaad to score skillfully. Such valuable points on the board, but unfortunately could not prevent a strong Bulls side from ending the half with a slender 3 point lead thanks to better decision making, converted penalties and boisterous crowd support. Who had a better grasp of the second half first would an important factor here, as much as the referees call was or the interpretation of a forward pass.
Teams returning to the field would each have wanted to impact on the result early, but each battered and strained to move past the advantage line. Long passages resulted in near-chances, but no real threat. Mistakes are still too common, with Richie McCaw caught out far too often for such a consummate professional, caught in a position where he and his forward pack seemed to be matched or sometimes bettered. Pierre Spies has returned to Super Rugby with a gusto, bigger and more athletic than ever.
No scoring early in this half lead to player changes and Wyatt Crockett had the desired ‘opposite’ affect to his substitution, with penalties conceded and those resulting kicks leading to a crucial play in the 66th minute that maintained the Bulls advantage. Replacement forward Grant Hattingh found himself in the position to score, and fortunately for the big guy he was on the end of a movement that may have been the defining play of the match – two late counter-attacks by The Crusaders were brought back by officials calls of a forward pass. Nadolo will attest to his pass direction, but the score would read 31-19 and there was no denying the homeside today.
It has turned the table for South African sides, as The Stormers sunk lower and The Bulls made a launch for the 2nd wildcard position. That competition looks to be finely balanced, but a fine player like Pollard is now becoming more adept in his role and leading all scorers. He stated “It was a great team effort,” said the 21-year-old successor to Loftus legend Morne Steyn. “And it was a great privilege for me to pit my wits against Dan Carter, the best fly-half of all time.” Soon enough, these two might meet on a bigger stage [Rugby World Cup] and while the Bulls pivot is on the improve, so too was Dan Carter. He was comfortable at first-five, while not being as influential as he’d have wished for, his 4/4 penalties meant his efforts were valuable. A loss that the squad will have been let down in their ill-discipline and lack of urgency. Even with more time, you’d still believe The Bulls had the better of the encounter. and that is the impression other teams will draw from this result. The Sharks will be sure to watch replays of the match, hoping to catch out the visitors and deny them a happy Easter weekend in the republic.
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