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‘Acts as motivation’: All Blacks hopeful Cortez Ratima ‘chasing’ Cam Roigard
There was no fairytale finish for Aaron Smith in last year’s Rugby World Cup final. After more than 120 Test matches, Smith’s legendary All Blacks career came to a heartbreaking end.
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New Zealand were pipped by arch-rugby-rivals South Africa 12-11 at Stade de France, and that saw a number of all-time All Blacks greats bow out with a result their careers didn’t deserve.
But still, not long after referee Wayne Barnes brought an end to the thrilling finale, Smith was photographed smiling as he walked past the Webb Ellis Cup while holding his son. It’s an image that should live on in New Zealand’s sporting history.
By walking across that podium to collect the less desired silver medal, Smith was enjoying some of his last moments as an All Black with a loved one.
It was the end of an era, though. There’s no more Smith, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Dane Coles and more – and that’ll take some getting used to.
With their spots now vacant within the All Blacks’ setup, there appears to be some very real opportunities for younger players to step up and make their mark at Test level.
Rising star Cam Roigard, who debuted for New Zealand last year, seems one step ahead in the race to succeed Smith at halfback. The Hurricane took out the All Blacks’ Bronco pre-season test with a time of four minutes and 12 seconds earlier this month.
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That time has put other All Blacks hopefuls on notice, including Cortez Ratima – another halfback who could potentially rival Roigard for the All Blacks’ No. 9 jersey for years to come.
“We’ve pretty much played each other through school, known each other through school. We’re the same age,” Ratima told RugbyPass when asked about Cam Roigard.
“He’s a real competitor. Quite physical, a strong ball carrier, he’s just fit, his skillset’s on point, he’s got a great kick.
“He is where every nine in New Zealand is probably striving to be. I’ll be chasing that and trying to better my game.
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“It just raises the bar (Roigard’s Bronco time). It’s just something for nines that want to be in that position to aim to,” he added, with Ratima registering a time of 4.23 with the Chiefs.
“I guess it just acts as motivation.”
With last year’s Super Rugby Pacific final at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium Waikato hanging in the balance, Ratima was helping steer the Chiefs around the park from halfback.
Having replaced then-co-captain Brad Weber, who has since left New Zealand’s shores after signing for Stade Francais in Paris, Ratima did everything to help the Chiefs snatch the final from the jaws of defeat.
But it wasn’t to be as the Chiefs fell short against the Crusaders. Just like the All Blacks after the World Cup final, it was a bitter end to storied careers as the Chiefs farewelled icons of their jersey that night.
With a new season less than 50 days away, an opportunity to start anew for those still playing awaits. For Ratima, that means embracing the “opportunity” to potentially start in the No. 9 jersey.
If the 22-year-old can do that – as many believe he will – then the Chiefs halfback will look to impress as he chases the “ultimate goal” of becoming an All Black.
“That’s always gonna be the ultimate goal for myself. That’s the pinnacle of New Zealand rugby and where every nine would want to be,” Ratima said.
“I don’t know what you’re doing if you don’t want to be an All Black.
“That’s 100 per cent always the goal heading into the year, also obviously the goals of winning a Super Rugby championship title, being the number nine come round one, they’re all goals.
“Just pretty much gonna do what I can, park them up (and) have them in eyesight but try and live in the now and do what I can and take it one step at a time.”
While the opportunity to potentially play for the All Blacks is waiting on the horizon for Ratima – as well as many other genuine candidates in New Zealand – the halfback is firmly focused on Super Rugby Pacific with the Chiefs.
Ratima will compete with former All Black Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi and the Chiefs’ Bronco winner Xavier Roe (time of 4.19) for starting duties at the Hamilton-based Super Rugby franchise.
“It’s healthy competition. All three of us are driving each other to be better every day.
“We’re just out the putting our best foot forward to hopefully get there round one and be a part of the team and contribute.
“We love it though. We all have a real good relationship with each other. I’ve been with Xave pretty much since I’ve been a professional footy player. I’ve got a pretty good relationship with him.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Why is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
1 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
1 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
8 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
8 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
8 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
8 Go to comments