The 2015 Investec Super Rugby season continued with three games involving New Zealand sides (The Lions observe the BYE round) Talk before this round was around many issues: player movements as Colin Slade announced he would follow Conrad Smith to Pau in France, while some players were distracted by a choice to make themselves available for the 2016 Olympic Sevens squad – Beauden Barrett, Julian Savea, Victor Vito, Liam Messam, Ben Smith and many other leading Super players considering a ‘different type of gold’ and finally a selection of players suspected of suffering concussion injury. Those issues aside, coaches would certainly not want their players thinking of anything other than these crucial matches including two mouth-watering local derby games and the leading Hurricanes in action against The Waratahs.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 10 – NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
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Match : The Crusaders v The Chiefs
Venue : AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Score : 9-26
It’s not too often that you can say that you have beaten a Champion side twice in one season. Liam Messam’s men will have that memory now after downing The Crusaders again [the seven-time champions recorded back-to-back home defeats for the first time since 2004] in a match that was tense and full of gamesmanship. The Chiefs played to their strengths to win by a margin of 17 points that will be of major concern in the Mainland. While up in Hamilton, they will savor this win for seasons to come and it sets them up well for higher honors possibly later this season. The disappointment for the hosts will be on the way that big players didn’t perform to their proven standard. Coach Todd Blackadder made the call to bring in the experience of Richie McCall and Dan Carter which added to the seniority of Andy Ellis, Kieran Read and Wyatt Crockett, but even with that artillery it seemed to expose frailties in this Crusaders side. Without Ryan Crotty, removed after a head knock against The Highlanders, that loss was exacerbated by the late withdrawal on Thursday of Israel Dagg. Unsettling to most sides, with their wealth of resources you’d expect the home side to bounce back – but the opposite occurred.
They were pushed around by the visitors and worst for me, complained and chirped at the referee which is a sign of a team upset and off their normal game. A wintry Christchurch evening delivered a seemingly early try to Tim Nanai-Williams, until it was brought back for a shepherding call against Ben Tameifuna. His mini-battle with Crockett was a struggle all night, their gamesmanship of a high standard that reminded me of Sean Fitzpatrick and Phil Kearns. No punches thrown, but the niggle was obvious and two early tight-head plays heightened the tension. Besides that one match-up, Brodie Retallick faced his All Blacks partner Sam Whitelock and Sam Cane faced-off against McCaw and . While fascinating, it was players like Michael Leitch and Jordan Taufua who shone. Taufua, with his galloping running style set off after latching onto a loose Brad Webber pass. A great opportunity only metres to the line and with the ball presented, Sam Cane over-committed himself and came through from the side. A cynical play, he was sent straight to the bin with little argument. If The crusaders had thought they could maximize that advantage, it rewarded them with only 3 points. Carter had not brought his 81% kicking success rate, failing to nail several kicks in the first half and that permeated into his team mates play. The ball did not go their way and that was to The Chiefs credit. They have had so many cards in 2015, it might be a new coaching style [sic] but calls went their way and leading 3-6 they seemed to grow in confidence.
A sour note on this night occurred when their first-five Aaron Cruden pulled up lame with a worrying knee injury. Looking to walk it off, the message came down from Dave Rennie to pull him before anymore damage was caused. Andrew Horrell entered the match and with players like Nanai-Williams, the transition was near seamless. The ball was still shared to danger man Sonny Bill Williams who allowed players around him like Charlie Ngatai to be threats. They had multiple options and were a real headache for Slade and Carter, with Nemani Nadolo often involved in tackling and not in offense. Things got worse when within their own tryline, Ellis attempted to clear overturned ball and it fell from McCaw’s grasp and Leitch evaded a Slade tackle to score a fine try. Good reactions of a young man, which over the game was the key to this win. Before the end of the half, The Chiefs were opportunists yet again and James Lowe showed his speed to maximize after a sharp turnover to make the scores 6-18. Such an advantage was clear for all to see and coaches would have highlighted each sides weaknesses; for Blackadder that would have been converting 69% possession into points. A statistic that this side are the leading try scorers in Super Rugby Round 10 was hard to believe. The opposition have now held them tryless for 160 minutes of rugby, and seemed ineffective, They could not give Nadolo the width or man-on-man situation he likes, he was battering into a quality defenses and Tom Taylor was unable to be that special link that Dagg so usually is. He tried all night for sure, but Dagg’s loss accounted for less available options on hand.
The home side were predictable, repeatedly using the ‘box kick’ but Lowe, Williams and Marshall easily recovered the ball and set-up the forwards to fight their way down field. Once the ball is shared to the backs, subtle skills and quick passing might have lead to more points but unfortunately their completion rate was poor tonight. The second half was full of half-chances, good tackling and again constant chirping. As the game progressed, poor kicking decisions were not assisting the home side much, frustrating players like McCaw and a tighter final 20 minutes had a lack of inspirational play from the red & blacks that made them champions in the past. One SBW special offload was a highlight for a handful of Chiefs fans (who brought along their famed “cow bells”) and the last scoring play of the night was from a Carter speculative clearing kick. Liam Squire finished a brilliant movement which involved some supreme interplay between Marshall and Nanai-Williams, a fine example of how The Chiefs backs worked well in tandem with their loose forwards. Competing throughout, they attempted to gain a 4th try bonus point right up to the final whistle call, but The Crusaders were also fighting for a breakthrough. Each side negated the other. The likes of Nafi Tuitavake nor Matt Todd could not help the side out of their drought. The crowd would have filed out of the stadium with their heads low, knowing that in years past the result would have gone to their long standing heroes. It might be that those old legs are just not quite what they used to be and the direction from Blackadder is again under the microscope. The visitors not only held them tryless again, but they made them look slow, uninspired and lacking invention from either Slade or Carter.
Going through the motions, the southern men must pick themselves up and look to regain traction against the bottom-dwelling Blues. The Chiefs are now in a good position and coach Rennie commented “I thought the set piece was excellent. We managed to create a few turnovers, but Sam Cane was incredible again” He might want to address discipline again but he believed they “must back that up against The Force next Saturday night” He’ll be happy enough with their standing and will hope his players can concentrate on their basics. Do that, and the result will follow. His main concern will be if Cruden’s injury report on Monday, but they will most likely insert Damian McKenzie to bring some added spark and build on a excellent start to this year. _____________________________________________________
Match : The Hurricanes v The Waratahs
Venue : Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Score : 24-29
Riding this ‘Canestrain’ in 2015 has been a great journey. You recall the dramas of last season, the pressure on former coaches and then the smart selection of Chris Boyd. We heard good things coming in re-signing of players, in the appointment of assistant coach John Plumtree and pre-season planning. It all looked good and was proven in that fantastic early trip to South Africa and the following victories that lead us to this match – facing the 2014 Super Rugby champions. The leading side in Super Rugby Round 10, this Wellington side were in “dizzying places” and it showed in the unbridled local support and in social media activity. #HURvWAR was trending and crowd numbers had swelled to unseen numbers at their home stadium, so this result may become secondary to new found energy and ‘good vibes’ coming out of The Hurricanes. They came to be entertained, with their razzle-dazzle style that is both inspirational and sometimes, disheartening. 63 points scored, it was well worth the entry fee even though the home side lost in the end. The Waratahs would have targeted this match, as an away trip and for the chance to test themselves against the best – themselves not being convincing this season, with some distractions for their Wallaby/NSW coach Michael Cheika, but they need to be a concern for any side and The Hurricanes were punished for a lack of control and finesse. Something they had a bye week to work on, maybe it was time spent considering Rio gold, but they only made a few mistakes tonight. They shouldn’t beat themselves up too much, but there is certainly work to be done.
Going down to the wire, the match was not settled until time had run away from the home team, securing a Waratahs win that looked threatened by a regenerative Hurricanes team. Time ran out but they had let the game get away from them after the second half re-start and a 2 try blitz from the visitors. Little to separate the sides over the match, intercepts apart. Both teams crossed the others line to gain 4 try bonus point, but it was a more assured Waratahs side that completed their Westpac Stadium raid with a maximum haul they definitely ‘wanted more’. While for the majority of the opening 40 minutes, The Hurricanes entertained their fans and scored three great trys themselves, including a mercurial Barrett ‘kick & chase blinder’ until Peter Betham then took the limelight away (he had stood in for winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, who was grounded in Sydney because of visa restrictions) Born in Wellington, it was both fortuitous and ironic that he would become the player who genuinely influenced this Waratahs win. To walk into the sheds at 19-19 would have been motivating for this skilled side, knowing that it was all even for another 40 minutes and they were full of action and worthy of this top-of-the-table clash. Rebounding has not always been the ‘Canes best attribute, and they played like seasons past – playing like headless chooks sometimes, I myself thought that had gone from their game. But no, they fell back into bad habits and when Israel Folau outpaced Savea, the great escape act was going to be a step too far. Chris Boyd will be not shouting at players Monday, he and Plumtree are far too experienced. He’ll want to educate players on decision making. On patience and on not throwing the 50/50 ball [as Barrett had on 40 min mark] They need to be smart, play as the 2015 Hurricanes who are still number one on the NZ conference table.
Still deserved of fans affections and worth a bet for more wins this season, but they face a tricky hop over to Brisbane and will not won’t to slip on any tropical fruit if possible – bananas must be off the menu in my opinion. The Waratahs will benefit more than others, as they return to play The Rebels. Cheika was quoted “tonight was excellent – but I think the necessity to win this competition is around consistency and the goal will be to bring that consistency to the next long run of games.” For many NZ rugby fans, be worried that they are actually going to become the qualifying Australian conference winner (as evident with Brumbies recent form)
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Match : The Highlanders v The Blues
Venue : Forsyth-Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Score : 30-24
The one thing that brings these two Super Rugby sides closer than others, is in their ‘shared’ resources. Over the years, players and coaches have shifted roles in between each franchise, and the most significant of those was former coach Gordon Hunter. Ex-Policeman Hunter brought a no-nonsense attitude up from the south when The Blues needed to change, but his early loss affected each franchise that they enacted a fine trophy to respect the enigmatic leader. To compound that element tonight, his widow had just passed, so the atmosphere was on somber reflection and who might be worthy to walk away as the holder of the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy. While recent Blues ‘cast offs’ would turn game changers for the home side, the most remarkable piece of selection policy was in play from Sir John Kirwans brains-trust. They decided (in their wisdom) to select a fresh, young front row to open this match and to hold on the reserves bench, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock and Charlie Faumuina. A sensational play, it was meant to reap rewards if his side could bring parity in the opening half, so JK could then insert his esteemed front row en mass, to then dominate their opponents in the second forty minutes. Asked pre-game about his tactics, Kirwan joked that he had asked Woodcock “if he had ever been used as an offensive substitute off the bench” He would have second-guessed his decision, because soon enough a clinical Highlanders team had scored 2 tries to blow his strategy out of the water. So what seemed like fresh-thinking, had in fact put undue pressure on his side and they imploded to overturn possession, kick away their ball and play into the hands of the opponents.
Their backline used its strengths well, with Malakai Fekiatoa and Waisake Naholo scoring on the outside of their opponents – Naholos’ try was amazingly made while being hip-tossed over the tryline by Kaino. Special players usually perform special deeds, and those two ex-Blues squad members were “super special”. It was a change in the recent form for The Highlanders, who had start so poorly in too many games, so if this is a taste of their true potential then if they can combine an opening forty minutes with some of their more recent second half results, then it will be sensational match. With accuracy and an efficiency about this hardworking Highlanders side, they built a 24-0 lead that was impressive to watch – if you were a home town fan of course. For those north of Manukau, it was a car-wreck. And footage from the changing shed of Kirwan implicitly demanding his side front-up seemed ‘too little, too late’. Many players might walk out and want to perform, but it would take some on-field direction and that soon came in the form of 4 leading players [including ex-Highlander Jimmy Cowan] that made a near immediate impact. Faumuina charging up field with gusto, he unfortunately lost the ball in a not so impressive goose-step. David Campese would have laughed, but soon The Blues were smiling as first George Moala took the direct route to the tryline, followed by Patrick Tuipulotu. Nothing fancy, no chip kicks, no one-on-one plays, it was pure rugby that lead-up to Mealamu charging over between the posts from positive phase play. That brought them back to 27-17 and we started to wonder if the lead was ‘large enough’.
The Highlanders were too stagnant, and for once The Blues were contenders. Most players now had their heads up, and besides Cowan who seemed to be too easily harassed into errors, they did the basics and would have been nearer to the lead after Mealamu’s second try if only Daniel Bowden had brought his kicking boots. Subbed for Ihaia West, they were left ‘kicking themselves’ when the whistle blew at 30-24. While they should have indeed scored more points, they will not be entirely unhappy with their two competition points taken, although they should have been up 33-30 (counting all missed kicks) The Blues will never learn until they can ultimately benefit from all their efforts. Not every kick will ever go over, just ask Dan Carter, but if you don’t take the right gameplan into a match and can’t take points on offer, then your team are not solely to blame. Isolating such behavior and improving their planning will see The Blues turn near-wins into victories as they must do soon, because they face a wounded Crusaders side next round. Many fans will think that they are lucky to gain this win, but it had some fine displays from individuals, like Lima Sopoaga. He was brilliant in general play and in his selection of kicks. In one play near the games end, he kicked the ball out behind the opponents own 22 line. How he did it was the impressive part, that saw Lima choose a grubber kick to minimize kicking it out on the full which then put pressure on The Blues lineout. He knew from memory, that his opponents had blown a lineout in that very same position [Josh Bekhuis exclaiming at the time “I didn’t throw it forward”] The Highlanders tens’ display, alongside returning Kane Hames and Elliot Dixon was terrific, and besides their failure to close-out the match with style, their substance is not in question. They and their team now travel to the Australian Capital Territory to face a wounded Brumbies side.
If they can succeed in bringing both halves of their recent play into one full performance, then they will cement their status as ‘contenders’. By all accounts, this vintage is a side much improved from their earlier peers. Cowan remarked “They put the Crusaders away last week, and they beat the Chiefs away. They’re one of the form teams of the competition and have threats right across the park, a backline that’s playing very well. Aaron is leading them well at scrumhalf and you’ve got Lima [Sopoaga] steering the ship well too.” Many believe that combination and the leadership of Nasi Manu are the right ingredients for success in 2015. It all hinges now on their away form and how they manage players use – remembering All Blacks ‘resting’ policy. If they can bring all those elements together, they’ll surely reach consecutive finals campaigns.
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NZ conference standings | Hurricanes (Position 1st) 33 points | Chiefs (4th) 32 | Highlanders (5th) 28 | Crusaders (10th) 20 | Blues (14th) 11
Future fixtures – Friday 24th April : Chiefs v Force , Hamilton | Brumbies v Highlanders, Canberra | Saturday 25th April : Crusaders v Blues, Christchurch | Sunday 26th April : Reds v Hurricanes, Brisbane
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