The 2015 Investec Super Rugby season continued with three games involving New Zealand sides (The Sharks observed their final BYE round)
As noted last week, the ramifications from this penultimate rounds results would foretell final placings for several sides, a fact that rang especially true for The Bulls, Lions and Crusaders. Each side knew that a win would give them a chance of securing a Wildcard finishing place.
Friday night The Bulls went face-to-face with The Rebels. Their southern-tour had not agreed with Bulls play, losing all of their last 4 games and nothing changed for them tonight as they got close, but ‘no cigar’. On Saturday The Lions visited the high-flying Stormers, continuing to show outstanding backplay, with a final try to the visitors almost bringing them the ultimate acclaim. However, a 19-19 draw meant they ended up tantalisingly close to one of the best wins in franchise history. That final draw meant they accumulated only 42 points and will finish just outside of contention (due to a BYE next round); The Stormers are now the only South African side who can qualify, though they will feel fortunate to host a preliminary semi-final match.
And the final side with an outside chance were the once dominant Crusaders, who played The Blues (see match report), but many NZ Rugby fans were deflated by the news of the untimely death of former All Black Jerry Collins. Taken too soon, he and wife Alana Madill died on the morning of 5th June 2015 after their car collided with a bus Beziers in southern France. The news impacted Hurricanes players late on Friday, as they found out just an hour before kickoff, so before all Super Rugby matches this weekend a minutes silence was held out of respect. A fearless tackler and barnstorming player, he played 50 times for his national side [although born in Apia, Samoa] and his impact on the field and in rugby circles leaves a lasting memory for all. A player of many skills, Jerry leaves his daughter Ayla (though her conditions is also currently described as “uncertain” after she was involved in the crash) as well as lasting memories for any rugby fan fortunate enough to see him play. Rest in peace.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 17 – NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
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Match : Hurricanes v Highlanders
Venue : McLean Park, Napier
Score : 56-20
The build-up to this match had several elements that made it an enticing encounter: Firstly, just a week earlier The Hurricanes had been tamed by The Crusaders, falling to only their 2nd loss of 2015. The question became “how would they respond?”. They were aided by a returning Beauden Barrett, who was back from injury; also back in the lineup was captain Conrad Smith, returning from All Blacks enforced rest. The pair only increased the side’s potent look, and it would have excited their fans to see a fully equipped side announced for this ‘battle in The Bay’.
The opposition too had local players in their side; Richard ‘The Barracuda’ Buckman, Ash Dixon, Brendon Edmonds, Gareth Evans and Ryan Tongia all had a warm homecoming (of sorts). While this side were in good form going into the match, they had to accommodate enforced rest for their three main stars. Captain Ben Smith, halfback Aaron Smith and blockbuster centre Malakai Fekitoa were left sitting in the stands – a glaring absence for ‘Landers fans; it detracted from their chances for many. Ash Dixon would captain this side, with Fumiaki Tanaka starting at halfback, Jason Emery selected as centre, with Marty Banks running at fullback.
News of the unfortunate loss of Jerry Collins had only just been released, so a minute’s silence was observed by everyone present. Hurricane player who had stood alongside Collins included Ma’a Nonu, Victor Vito and Jeremy Thrush, and we hoped that did not inhibit this side’s mindset. To both teams credit, they played a game that Jerry would have really enjoyed. The game featured thundering tackles from both sides as usual, both forward packs with the same mentality of ‘hard work first’, while both teams like to free the ball to their back lines whenever possible.
The match began with an early drop-kick, a little unusual for this Hawkes Bay crowd but they would soon appreciate the match that laid ahead for them. We all expected some pressure from a well-coached ‘Landers side. Well prepared, they’d need to keep their shape though with co-captain Nasi Manu also missing. When Evans was sent to the bin early, the Hurricanes ‘flicked the switch’ and things soon began to click for the home side. A team who like to play at speed, they quickened the pace, thus highlighting the loss of 3 leaders from the Southerners, with Nehe Milner-Skudder performing a magnificent run to set Blade Thompson free to score; his falling pass a thing of beauty. That was the start of a 15 minute period of brilliance from the title leaders. Marshall did a terrific job all by himself to break tackles and score spectacularly. The talented back was imperious, just like his All Blacks team mate TJ Perenara. His slick work was rewarded with a zippy try, and after a great period of scoring, it was point-a-minute stuff.
The visitors were not to be out-played though, with more ball they ran over the gain line, flankers adding good width. John Hardie did well to return an inside ball for Tongia to score, and then Tongia snatched a high-ball to return the favor to a supporting Hardie who was stopped within close range. Sopoaga showed his class to dot down, and it was all smiles now at 23-13. Hurricane scoring did not stop there either. Dane Coles scored down the blind and he later put on a classic ‘Jerry Collins shot’ on Tanaka. A fitting tribute to arguably the hardest hitting player in the history of the sport.
This first half had produced 6 tries and was full of superlatives. The Hurricanes already had their bonus point and it was becoming a real tryfest. That action continued after the re-start too, early territory resulted in more swift passing to allow Savea to cross within only a minute. He was winning a classic wingers match-up against Waisake Naholo, but he had his team mates to thank for that. Nice work from Goodes, Broadhurst and Vito was underwriting this effort. Banks countered that try with a wonderful team effort [37-20] and then so too did Perenara, crossing for his 10th competition try. Great footy.
Nonu was injected into the game; acknowledging a good match from Ray Lee-lo. This season, Nonu just seems to have it in him and he simply used his power when up against a defensive wall. He took them all on and crossed from ten metres out. Not long after, Brad Shields lingered in a Highlanders line and intercepted ball to give a nice little flick pass, allowing Nonu to scorch 40 metres. He made it look easy, but it’s just that some players get in that mode and they are on-form. He is part of that elite group, and along with the rest of the team, everything he tried worked handsomely.
A talented Highlanders side missed some artillery and tried valiantly to retain some face, but could not gain a 4th try bonus point. They left empty handed, with fans questioning rugby administration/Rugby World Cup ‘rest & rotation’ policy. While they are now assured of reaching the semi-finals, they needed to gain some self confidence and fortuitously next face the battered Blues at Eden Park. While not an easy ticket to clip, it will be a good test and they would like to mirror their opposition tonight, who themselves bounced back superbly from defeat.
Exciting play aside, it was won in the close-quarters battle as The Hurricanes out-committed and out-foxed their opposition. A good first half will do that, but from the mid-stages they needed to prove they can be organised as well. While the ‘Canes play their best when it is a little bit more free and fluid, good instruction from John Plumtree has set-in a better foundations so when The Highlanders kept it tighter, they too were just smartly organised to counter it. More organised than ever, in fact, and while Jerry Collins did make that 2006 foggy final where his side went down to The Crusaders, it is from those teams struggles that this side today are better placed to go further in this competition.
Congratulations are called for as they claimed the BNZ Cup [NZ conference title] and will meet The Chiefs next week. It will be the match of the round, determining the hosts final standings. It has all the ingredients of a full-on match; top shelf. If the ‘Canes can win there (missing Nonu who will be rested we hear) then in my mind, they will believe they can go all the way “for Jerry”.
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Match : Blues v Crusaders
Venue : Eden Park, Auckland
Score : 11-34
Sir John Kirwan has made selections over the course of this season that have all too often been determined by injury (a massive 13 lost players over this season); they have resulted in good outcomes and bad. Besides all the mellow-drama in the boardroom, his selection policy has aimed to promote young talent and he had to reach deep within the region for this match. Benching Frank Halai and Francis Saili due to them heading abroad next season, he included fresh faces, and they all looked as much when faced with an All Black strewn Crusaders team, led masterfully by Richie McCaw.
Among the new players, Ari Hunt had been pointed-out to Kirwan by none other than Michael Jones. He saw something in the youngster that seemed vacant on this debut; he had a horrid time with those ‘little things’ like possession and composure. Like the Blues other tyro Akira Ioane [away destroying dreams at the U20 World Cup] this selection was very much an investment in the future. But every player needs a start, and playing at Super Rugby level can be the harshest environment, even for well thought of ‘Baby Blues’. Though it’s also fair to say those calls were out of Kirwan’s control.
Opposing him was Todd Blackadder, himself not assured of the full support of his franchise, following one of the first seasons in which the storied Canterbury side won’t make the playoffs. Blackadder needed his team to reach its potential earlier in the year, meaning they wouldn’t have found themselves in such a predicament now – a ‘must win game’ with a bonus point or their season was done (though results have since confirmed they will miss the playoffs)! With the loss of so many players next season, some had thought it might be through a lack of motivation that they had found themselves in 9th position but reading Dan Carter’s quotes from earlier in the week, he remarked how he “did not want to simply cruise through ’til the end of the year.'” He said they still had a purpose, and that is what they needed to deliver tonight.
Missing Kieran Read [a major All Black concern for me, due to the recurring nature of his concussion issues]; Sam Whitelock and Ryan Crotty would be reintroduced via the reserves bench, so the same team that halted The Hurricanes faced this young Blues side. They looked the more assured, with good communication between Mitchell Drummond and Carter a key to their team-oriented approach. They would have to be the aggressor, but discipline needed to be on-mark, and that was where The Blues took advantage of good territory; a couple of early penalties opened the scoring. However, if you can’t control the ball then it is only a matter of time.
Carter had played very well the week earlier. Not the otherworldly 2005 vintage, but his game is more controlled today, which showed when he aimed to stretch his opponents with wide-ranging kicks. It was just over target, but that didn’t faze Nemani Nadolo. He is in supreme form and like a gridiron player, he grasped a ball from out of the air. A truly sublime piece of play. The Carter conversion was on target (he would go on to be 100% on the night) and you imagined they would now ‘hit their straps’ to take maximum points.
This game wasn’t like that though. Yes, they did win and with a bonus point too, but they never held the young kids down. It was very much a testing workout, almost an opposed session instead of the walk-though it seemed early on. If you looked away, the Baby Blues would have a break out or get a good bounce of the ball. But it wasn’t enough to trouble the scoresheet until on 74 minutes when Ben Lam finally crossed. They just lacked the finesse that their opposition had.
As an example, Luke Romano was very active across the park, in the tight and in open play and was rewarded with a try before halftime. He has benefited from several years of All Black tutelage, which shows clearly. While Josh Bekhuis looks all ‘thumbs and elbows’ as he goes from good too bad – as young players must, it’s a learning curve. If they aren’t nurtured like those in the All Blacks environment are, it’s tough to acclimatise.
In the melee, Blues player George Moala shone like a beacon. A threat through-out, he is looking like a nominee for Blues player of the year, alongside Brendon O’Connor who is vigorous and demonstrates good values. So too do James Parsons and Ihaia West who are much improved this year, but all too often West was schooled by Carter. The senior player did ‘go missing’ at times and he had to make many more tackles than he’d like to, but overall his form along with Tom Taylor at fullback was reassuring. Matt Todd was ever present, so too was Owen Franks but it was Sam Whitelock who made an impact off the bench. The big lock showed good, ranging link play and his try-saving ability was outstanding.
On attack, The Blues had opportunities, but at scrum time they were pushed about and too much complaining to the officials made it look like schoolboy stuff. They lack experience; until when Keven Mealamu ran on. He brought in 150 games which is 5 times as much as the whole backline combined, and credit too for Crusaders players as now all four Whitelock brothers have each reached 50 Super Rugby games. Phenomenal really and another great family name to add to NZ rugby folklore.
Not much can be taken out of The Blues match, as they seemed two-dimensional and worked to a gameplan. If coaching and development is longterm, making this a “work in progress”. That is not a luxury this Crusaders team now have. They did finish the match with 5 competition points and mathematically had done enough [down to the maths again sorry] to give themselves a chance, but they haven’t been performing for the whole competition and that’s why, after a Waratahs win on Saturday night, they won’t make the post-season. Losing too many games will make it difficult for any team, and losing players only adds to their future issues in 2016. And sadly, Robbie Fruen left the field with injury too, so who knows – it might be Baby Blues playing Baby Crusaders for 2 or 3 seasons to come. The question is, who will their coaching staffs be?
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Match : Reds v Chiefs
Venue : Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Score : 3-24
A trip across to Brisbane has been a catalyst for many sides’ downfall. Queensland are one of the more established Super Rugby sides, so for the Hamilton based side it felt like a big challenge even though the Reds are sitting in a lowly 12th position. They had motivation tonight, to send off 2 of their sides stalwart champions – Will Genia and James Horwill – in style. Both Wallaby players and each holding immense respect within the region, so that factor would be important for the home team.
Rain before the match would make it a little slippery, but for The Chiefs they would need to fight fire-with-fire, and while they still missed Sonny Bill-Williams and Aaron Cruden, the return of World Rugby Player of the Year Brodie Retallick and skipper Liam Messam were huge boosts. Dave Rennie had missed their influence, and it was soon felt by their opposition too.
Tough forward encounters showed this would be a pitched battle, and outside of pivot Quade Cooper, The Reds backline was controlled pretty much all game. Lachie Turner and Karmichael Hunt were unable to free themselves, and were on the defensive throughout. Marty McKenzie again drove the line and had a fair match, so for the home side it became more about repelling Chiefs attack than looking to outplay their opponents. They often halted attacking plays but had no response, so this Super Rugby Round 17 match seemed ready for the taking.
After last weeks capitulation, the visitors had much to play for. “We talked a lot about Jerry Collins as an All Black and what he brought to the field in his toughness and he was measured on his defence,” Messam said. “We tried to honor him in the way we tackled tonight.” After several losses, early points were vital to The Chiefs gameplan, but they found it tough until some good territory and quick hands allowed winger Bryce Heem to outflank his opposite to cross. He will be missed next season, and with that opening, The Chiefs would dominate territory and make the most of quick recycling from Augustine Pulu. Playing his 50th match, the scrum half also delivered a perfectly timed pass when parked on the Reds line; Messam ran a wonderful angle to dart across untouched. Impressive vision, and it was hands-on-hips for the Reds before retiring for half time.
Watching the game, from the second half The Reds did show some resilience. Feisty too, Cooper getting in the face of players often (something he does well) and while they held out The Chiefs for a good half hour, they themselves only invaded Chiefs territory on brief occasions. Ineffective attack showed, and all too regular kicks were easily taken and returned. Neither Cooper or the many box-kicks were having an effect, and when The Chiefs won a lineout steal, it was a truly magnificent piece of quick play that saw Chalie Ngatai cross to make it 3-24 with ten minutes left.
Could they gain that vital bonus point? They definitely thought they could but unfortunately for local fans, they were too predictable in play even with Damian McKenzie and Tim Nanai-Williams showing glimpses. The Reds did well to hold them out and even as a break-out 70 metre effort seemed to secure the precious point, a knock-on was sighted by the TMO and the game ended on a lowpoint. By just missing that bonus point, it meant The Chiefs end up on 48 points – equal with The Highlanders.
With The Hurricanes next week in Hamilton, that match now has big ramifications for their seeding. They would love to have SBW back, but his injury may have ended his 2015 Super Rugby season [hopefully not his All Blacks one though] and they will likely have to face the NZ conference title holders without the relentless Sam Cane. He must rest due to that infamous ‘rest & rotation’ policy, which has been an issue for all franchises. It’s all up to them, and their coaching team will need to rely on some inventive play to counter the dynamism and explosive play of the ‘Canes. Looking forward to it.
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Key Results: Force 20-33 Brumbies | Rebels 21-20 Bulls | Cheetahs 33-58 Waratahs | Stormers 19-19 Lions
In Conclusion.
While the Top 6 is now set, we actually don’t know what order they will settle in. That’s exciting, a reason why we enjoy these last few weeks of this competition. Unlike the English Premier League, you don’t simply run away with the title (unfortunately for The Hurricanes in this case). You are still playing for your side’s final position in the last round of competition – a great tribute to the final year of this system.
The Crusaders did have a chance, but other sides above them [Waratahs and Stormers] put their seasons back on track, and have sunk the former champions. A high-scoring victory for the ‘Tahs will make them more bullish, but they could still lose the conference lead if they don’t nail The Reds. And The Stormers will just be relieved to have made the finals. They really need to consider themselves lucky, but don’t count them out. Home ground advantage will suit them, and if they do well then they might fancy travelling back to NZ or Australia to play for a finals spot.
It is still up in the air, with the Highlanders in the best position to wrench a home preliminary semi-final spot with a domineering result against The Blues. I’ll be present for that, and feel a little torn – I admire the ‘Landers play and wish them well, but if you support a team at the start of the season (The Blues) you have to stay loyal through thick and thin. That is how Hurricanes fans have felt, and are now reaping the rewards after such a long wait for a real chance at the title. They now have an emotional factor in celebrating the life of Jerry Collins. His legacy will be a figurehead for the revitalised favourites.
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NZ conference standings | Hurricanes (Position 1st) 62 points | Chiefs (4th) 48 | Highlanders (5th) 48 | Crusaders 8th) 41 | Blues (14th) 20
Future fixtures – Friday 12th June : Blues v Highlanders, Auckland | Saturday 13th June : Brumbies v Crusaders, Canberra | Chiefs v Hurricanes, Hamilton
“Main Photo”
