'An Achilles' heel': Why the Chiefs have tweaked their loose forward strategy
In 2021, the Chiefs had to call upon the services of 13 different loose forwards to help get them through the Super Rugby season. While injuries will inevitably play a part in additional players being called up for next year’s campaign, coach Clayton McMillan has selected seven loose forwards who he hopes will be able to bear the brunt of the load, even if one or two men are unavailable.
Eight back-rowers were named at the beginning of the 2021 season: Kaylum Boshier, Lachlan Boshier, Mitchell Brown, Sam Cane, Luke Jacobson, Mitchell Karpik, Simon Parker and Pita Gus Sowakula. Every single member of that cohort spent significant time on the sidelines, with Kaylum Boshier, Karpik and Parker mustering just one start and seven appearances between them.
The bulk of the group has been retained for the upcoming year, with No 7s Lachlan Boshier and Karpik the only two absences. Boshier, who has been in excellent form over the past two seasons but had his pathway into a black jersey blocked, has shifted to Japan, while Karpik was rarely able to take the field during the NPC after his disrupted Super season.
While Boshier certainly won’t feature for the Chiefs in 2022, the door for Karpik to make a return has been left ajar by coach McMillan.
“I love Karpy, he’s a real warrior,” McMillan said after announcing his squad. “He missed a good chunk of the NPC this year and he needs to get some surgery to tidy up the shoulder
“Injury, more than anything, has meant that he’s missed out but if he can get himself fit again, he – alongside a whole bunch of other quality players that have missed out – will be sitting on the periphery in the event of injury.”
Despite losing the services of two openside flankers, the Chiefs haven’t filled their spots with like-for-like replacements. Instead, Waikato blindsider Samipeni Finau is the sole addition to the loose forwards, earning a full-time contract after joining the squad early in 2021 due to the aforementioned injury crisis.
McMillan has suggested that Kaylum Boshier – Lachlan’s younger brother – is the man set to back-up All Blacks captain Sam Cane in the No 7 jersey.
“Kaylum Boshier, we used him as a 7 last year,” said McMillan. “He did a really good job before injury sort of curtailed his year but he’s managed to come back and play the last couple of games, played a pretty pivotal role for Taranaki in the semi-finals and final. We think he’s really capable of being a 7 and then I guess we’ve also got Luke Jacobson, who’s played there before.”
A lack of out-and-out openside flankers in the squad hasn’t happened by chance, McMillan confirmed, with the Chiefs coaching group wanting better balance across the backrow for the season ahead. In the event of inevitable injuries, there is a trove of talented flankers across the country who the coaches are confident can step up to Super Rugby level if called upon.
Tyrone Thompson isn't like fellow Chiefs newbies Gideon Wrampling, Samipeni Finau and Cortez Ratima, who all hail from the Waikato. Instead, he's been plucked out of the Wellington NPC team. #SuperRugbyPacific #Hurricaneshttps://t.co/FaRWumSobQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 27, 2021
“What we’ve tried to do is we’ve just tried to create a better balance across our whole loose forward selections,” McMillan said. “If Sam is fit and available, he’s going to be playing more often than not and so it’s been part of our philosophy that if that comes to fruition then holding another couple of 7s in behind him could potentially be an Achilles’ heel in terms of getting a good balance.
“We also take a lot of comfort in knowing that there are some quality 7s out there, Mitch Jacobson, Tom Florence, other guys that are in our region that if required, can more than adequately step into that space.”
Jacobson was a key performer for Waikato during their Premiership-winning run in the NPC and has notched up a handful of Super Rugby appearances for the Chiefs and Sunwolves over the years while Florence, who has represented both the Highlanders and Chiefs, was similarly impressive for Taranaki during their Championship season.
Chiefs loose forwards for 2022:
Blindside flanker: Mitch Brown, Samipeni Finau, Simon Parker
Openside flanker: Sam Cane, Kaylum Boshier
Number 8: Luke Jacobson, Pita Gus Sowakula
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments