Chiefs passing on the multi-dimensional Sevu Reece a big mistake
With each passing week, Sevu Reece’s blinding form is making a mockery of the Chiefs decision to overlook him purely on rugby-related grounds.
Against the Lions on Friday night, Reece dispatched Lions number 8 Kwagga Smith with superhero-like force, propelling him through the air before scrambling through five more defenders to score a mesmerizing try in close quarters. Later in the second half, a grubber down a tight corridor finished up in Reece’s hands for his second of the night.
The Chiefs will be well aware of the finishing prowess of Reece as the Waikato-wing notched 14-tries in last year’s Mitre 10 Cup, and was arguably the form player of the competition.
Ex-Chiefs wing and Waikato assistant coach Roger Randle knew exactly what was waiting in the wings, having directly coached him all year as part of the Championship-winning Waikato backline.
“Guys like Sevu Reece have been outstanding and I think everybody should be looking at him in Super [Rugby],” Roger Randle told RugbyPass during last season’s Mitre 10 campaign.
“I don’t care what excuse people have got at Super-land.”
He has certainly been proven right. Had Randle been in the Chiefs setup earlier, perhaps his word would hold more weight. Right now, the spiraling Chiefs can only watch their local product help the Crusaders rack-up 40 on every team in the competition on their quest for three straight titles.
The puzzling aspect to the omission of Reece was that it had nothing to do with off-field troubles, with Colin Cooper insisting the early signing of Japanese wing Ataata Moeakiola blocked the way for Reece to join the squad.
“We committed to him [Moeakiola] early and obviously with Sevu Reece’s contract not coming through with Connacht, it was unlucky for Sevu,” said Cooper.
Even with Manasa Mataele, Will Jordan, Ngane Punivai, Leicester Faingaanuku, Braydon Ennor and Israel Dagg on the books, the Crusaders were prepared to take a punt on Reece and offer him a trialing opportunity and then a train-on contract.
With an injury to Mataele and the retirement of Dagg, he has asserted himself as a number one wing option for the Crusaders and dazzled since ripping the Chiefs for 153-metres on five line breaks on his Super Rugby debut in round four.
Reece has offered the Crusaders energy in all facets of the game, whether it be a gunner on restarts, pressure in kick-chase or carrying down the 10-channel off set-piece, cleaning at the breakdown, he has brought a lot to the table outside of scoring highlight-reel tries, even showing his playmaking ability.
Early against the Lions, on a ‘skinny’ play using 9, 12, and 14, Reece took a short pass out the back from Drummond playing at 10 and opened up the Lions midfield with a deft basketball pass over the top to centre Braydon Ennor. The pump fake before drawing the contact was ball-playing out of the top draw.
The scoot down the blind side against the Highlanders last week from a backpedaling ruck turned a pressure situation into a line break, before freeing up Drummond with an anticipatory no-look offload in a two-man tackle to find the supporting halfback and finish with seven points.
Reece as a playmaker is almost as dangerous as Reece the ball carrier, and this edge brings a multi-dimensional asset to the Crusaders.
Compared to the Chiefs’ wingers, he is a more balanced player yet more productive than all of them this season.
Although Reece has a higher usage rate (17.86 possessions per 80 minutes) than Etene Nanai-Seturo (12.26), Sean Wainui (11.87) and Ataata Moeakiola (12.58), he is a far more balanced player, with the highest pass rate, 40.26%, of all of them.
The man who seemingly took Reece’s squad position, Moeakiola, passes the ball just 13.11% of the time, while Nanai-Seturo is better at 23.73% and Wainui, who has spent some time at centre, has the highest at 34.57%.
Although Reece gets more touches, he is moving the ball far more frequently than the others. When you add in his impact as a runner, it’s no contest.
His 12 line breaks are double that of the next best Chiefs wing Nanai-Seturo, while his line break rate of 26.7%, every 1 in 4 runs, dwarfs that of Ataata Moeakiola (10.64%) and Sean Wainui (9.62%). He has the most tries, try assists as well as the most broken tackles.
Maybe the most telling stat is his tackle success at 80%, is a cut above Nanai-Seturo (72%), Wainui (71%) and Moeakiola (69%).
There is no doubt that Reece’s production is also a product of the system he is in, with an All Black-laden pack laying the platform as well as being on the end of classy backline. While it is true that the Chiefs aren’t creating much space for their wingers, Reece is often creating his own space.
Coaching and scheme is also a major factor, Reece has a license to roam in parts of the field to get involved and the more skills he shows the more likely he is to be used as the coaching staff dream up ways to get him the ball.
While Reece might not have the same impact if he was in fact on the end of the Chiefs backline, his ability at Super Rugby level is now undisputable and even talk of an All Black call up is now brewing.
Passing on Reece for moral-related reasons is understandable, passing on Reece from purely a rugby-standpoint could be one of the worst decisions in Super Rugby this decade. While Nanai-Seturo is a blue-chip prospect and still developing at 19-years-old, it is hard to see how Reece couldn’t be seen as a player who could compete and surpass Wainui and Moeakiola in the pecking order, especially after his dominant Mitre 10 Cup form.
If the Crusaders could open their doors with an already-stacked roster, surely the Chiefs could have too.
Comments on RugbyPass
pure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
1 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
25 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
25 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
25 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to comments