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Chiefs player ratings vs Blues | Super Rugby Aotearoa
The Chiefs sent out the reinforcements to give their big boys a break before their Super Rugby Aotearoa final next week against the Crusaders and they did their franchise proud, going down to the Blues 39-19 at Eden Park after a huge fight.
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It wasn’t until the subs came on where the superiority told and the Blues posted 20 points in the last 20 minutes.
Here are how the brave Chiefs rated.
1. Ollie Norris – 7.5/10
The best prop on show, overshadowing his storied opponents. The Chiefs scrum looked really good. Made seven carries, three of them in a minute before he ‘scored’ the Chiefs’ second which was disallowed try in the 34th minute. Off at 60.
2. Bradley Slater – 6
Sometimes it’s hard to be a hooker, you’re buried away toiling hard and you’re only noticed when there’s a not straight or tighthead against you. That happened to the Taranaki rake at 37 minutes where he threw a crooked one 20 metres out. Pretty good other than that. Off at 54.
3. Sione Mafileo – 7
The ex-Blue looked like he had a point to prove and he did. Scrum was firm, got right behind Zane Kapeli at 30 minutes to drive him 15 metres to the line, then a minute later took a quick lineout throw to build an attack. Off at 54.
4. Samipeni Finau – N/A
Off at 25 after trying to fall on a loose ball and twisting like a corkscrew.
5. Josh Lord – 7
Annoyed the Blues lineout, who twice knocked on in the first half, and got a great steal in the air at 48. Tackled well and is really strong, belying his beanpole physique.
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6. Viliami Taulani – 6
He wasn’t fazed making his debut, heroic tackle in the 8th minute to deny a Blues try. Lovely pop ball in a tight space at 39, Stinger at 51 and off.
7. Zane Kapeli – 6.5
Started the match inauspiciously with two penalties conceded; not rolling away in the 6th minute, and a tackle penalty 13th minute. As the nerves wore off he got one of his meat missile tackles off in the 15th minute on poor Otere Black, who will be blue as well as black tomorrow. Then there was another missile mission, this time with ball in hand at 29 minutes as he drove within centimetres of the line. Went into lock in the second half so didn’t feature as much in the loose.
From a non-competitor to qualifying-finalists in the space of a year – it's not been a bad return to form for the @WesternForce.https://t.co/Wr36bqR9mD
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 30, 2021
8. Pita Gus Sowakula – 8.5
Clayton McMillan said there were seven spots up for grabs for next week and the first man who will be picked in that pack is Sowakula. Mitch Brown will probably be pretty nervous if Jacobson is fit as it will be hard to leave Sowakula out of the starting team. Awesome ‘don’t argue’ on Gerard Cowley-Tuioti and made an attacking run in broken play in the 11th minute that got them close to the line. Some influential play at 46 minutes with a snatch of a high ball and then a lineout win to build pressure and that led to the penalty that closed the gap to 14-12. Just didn’t stop when others, even some off the bench, were flagging.
9. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi – 6
Very settled display early on, some good passes and some good reflexes to recover some loose ball. Off at 47.
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10. Bryn Gatland – 6
Like Sowakula, he took the responsibility to be a senior player seriously and looked committed with ball in hand and in defence. Good off the tee, took up the discussion with the ref following a disallowed try in the 35th minute. Bit of a brain explosion when he quickly punted the penalty downfield at 52 minutes which led to the Sullivan try, which lost him a point.
11. Bailyn Sullivan – 6.5
Top metres for his team, a lightning bolt of a run in the 20th minute and just denied a try with a double movement. Sounds like little brother Zarn has the bragging rights this time around.
12. Rameka Poihipi – 6
A lot to like in the first 60 minutes, very busy on defence in the first half and a strong run at 45 but just went quiet in the final quarter.
13. Sean Wainui – 6
Got the seatbelt tackle from Rieko Ioane early on but he’s tough. Cool turnover at 44 minutes when they tried something different off a penalty. Hobbled off at 56.
14. Shaun Stevenson – 6.5
Interesting, when his team fell away in the final quarter was when the mercurial wing came alive. At 60, got a long ball back with no support but a minute later he went over in the opposite corner to tie it up 19-all. As the Blues built the pressure in the final 10 minutes he stepped up the tackling, with telling hits in the 72nd, on Caleb Clarke at 76 and Soane Vikena at 77 minutes.
15. Kaleb Trask – 6
Was good positionally and won the battle for territory in the second quarter where the Blues seemed to want to pepper him and Gatland at the back. I think he’s quicker than he looks, as he slips through some narrow gaps at times, where defences seem to misjudge his speed. Looked slightly uncomfortable after a knock just after halftime and there were a couple of dropped high balls in the second half.
Huge news out of New Zealand! The @LosPumas and @JaguaresARG captain is returning to #SuperRugby.https://t.co/sFMFQV4Ydh
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 30, 2021
Reserves:
16. Nathan Harris – 5
On at 54. Wasn’t the major reason why the effort fell away – but as a senior figure, needed to lift his teammates.
17. Ezekiel Lindenmuth – 4
On at 60, got stuck at 64 at the back of the ruck that got the Blues ahead again. Couldn’t cope with Ofa at scrum time but also had Kapeli behind him at lock which wasn’t ideal.
18. Joe Apikotoa – 4
On at 54. Scrum was not good.
19. Liam Messam – 6.5
On at 51 minutes to a big cheer. He’s a rangatira no doubt.
20. Tom Florence – 7
On at 25. Heroic tackles on Tom Robinson, then Clarke within a gasp around the 50 minute mark. Top tackler for his team even though he was on the field for 55 minutes. Also carried seven times for 22 metres. Will get a place on the bench if Jacobson isn’t fit.
21. Xavier Roe – 5.5
On at 47. He’s got a lot of skill and will be a fixture in the franchise for years to come.
22. Rivez Reihana – N/A
On very late.
23. Gideon Wrampling – 6
On at 56. Wonderful skill setting up Stevenson for his try.
Comments on RugbyPass
To be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
1 Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
4 Go to commentsCan we also show some love for Tane Edmed’s fantastic draw and pass? Put his body on the line and committed the defender before letting go of that pass. Flawless skill.
4 Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
7 Go to commentsDanny don't care. He pretends to care but he don't. He says all this stuff to justify his reasoning but no one can claim that legitimately. He knew exactly what he was doing and wondered if his old team mate would overlook it, which he did. Ref has got to be sidelined or properly trained. It's one thing for refs to move up the ranks but if it was me I would require refs to either have played in different clubs or not at all having the temptation to bias in high stakes games like this. This has got to be stamped out. But then again World Rugby is so destroying the game of rugby in an attempt to be more “safe” and “concussion free”. What they are doing is making it more infuriating for the fans and more difficult for the refs to officiate evenly and consistently. It's fast become Australian Rules football. If guys don't want concussions, they should have played chess. Stop complaining you oldies of the game. When they played the game was vastly heavier hitting than it is now but of course they can't see that.
2 Go to commentsJa, why do Bulls get flack for not bringing their best but Leinster never bring their best and it goes “unnoticed”?
3 Go to commentsIt’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
7 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
4 Go to commentsSBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
11 Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
7 Go to commentsSensational tackle. The reds one was late and rightly penalised. The other two were simultaneous with the pass. If nitpicking TMOs can’t find fault there clearly isn’t any.
4 Go to commentsBrumbies fully deserved their win on the back of their physicality and desire to control the ball. Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax should be the ABs starting front row when we start our test schedule. They have “come of age” and have bested all they have faced as well as been dominant with ball in hand in making the gainline. With De Groot, Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell backed up by Taukei'aho and Cody Taylor there's not an international front row that can trouble us. Can't wait to face the Boks over there, won't be no one point game this time.
7 Go to commentsKinda strange that he wasn’t with a premiership team or a higher level of rugby? Start playing late or something? With that kind of size and athleticism you’d think someone would have picked him up?
2 Go to commentsShows how much attitude matters. Last week the Brumbies got done, this week they dominated the tournament leaders, who were likely thinking they could cruise to victory.
7 Go to commentsA Turtle has more pace and leg drive than Owen Franks, so it’s a good thing he only had to run 90 metres for that try.
2 Go to commentsOh Tamati Tua was in the vastly over-rated Leon MacDonalds Blues system? Well, no wonder he was wasted, much like Emoni Narawa and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens under MacDonald. now look at them. Good thing Tua isn’t eligible, the Aussies latch on to any player who isn’t tied down.
7 Go to commentsMark Telea is a lot of things, but a defensive juggernaut has never been one of them. There will be far bigger tests in that regard for the youngster.
11 Go to commentsLove and respect to Fiji but not a chance outside of 7s
4 Go to commentsGood summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
7 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to comments