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Chiefs players ratings vs Crusaders | Super Rugby Aotearoa Final
The Chiefs arrived to find the vocal Christchurch crowd in full voice and the four time champions at full throttle. The Crusaders had two tries and 12 points on the board after 16 minutes and it looked like it would be one way traffic.
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The Chiefs, however, love a scrap and they pulled it back to two points and then were in the driver’s seat for long periods in the next two quarters.
But Damian McKenzie’s golden boot deserted him and the Chief’s failed to take advantage of the 2 man edge for ten minutes, when it came to the home leg they’d run out of wind and the champions sailed home with a wet spinnaker, final score 24-13.
Here’re the Chiefs’ ratings
1. Aidan Ross – 5.5
He was one of the handful of Chiefs’ players who seemed to be phased by the big occasion, his scrummaging was not as effective as we’d seen. The Chiefs were far more disciplined then the Crusaders, but Ross conceded the first penalty, offside in the 6th minute that eventually led to the first try. Off at 53.
2. Samisoni Taukei’aho – 7
Struggled in the first half at lineout time with few viable targets and the fact that the calls seemed to go to where Whitelock was. He got going in the 25th minute with ball in hand with an inspiring carry from his tryline, although soon after a mortifying moment when even the beefy hooker was bounced off by Leicester Fainga’anuku. Started the second half with more pickups than my local courier, ten carries in total. A good season for the hooker.
3. Angus Ta’avao – 6
Scrum was not the weapon it has been in the last month, even when the Crusaders were down in pack numbers. He was a powerhouse in the the middle of the field and will have big bruiser on his right cheek tomorrow as he led with his face once too often. Off at 62.
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4. Tupou Vaa’i – 5.5
Huge pressure on him as THE lineout jumper for his team in the first half and was schooled by Whitelock. He is always handy around the field and will learn from this defeat.
5. Mitch Brown – 5
Had a knock in the first half, the lineout was scruffy so he was replaced.
6. Pita Gus Sowakula – 6
Good first tackle on Bridge but missed Havili seconds later in the first stanza. Carried his heart out but the Crusaders knew he would be coming and were waiting to close him down.
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7. Lachlan Boshier – 7
Always a stealthy danger in the tackle and Crusaders worked hard on cleaning him out but they couldn’t stop a couple of turnovers at key times. Equal top tackles in the game, he even had his kicking boots on with a lovely punt at the start of the 2nd half. Off at 66.
8. Luke Jacobson – 7
Made some good metres and always challenged the line. 43 metres and 10 carries, and also a powerhouse at the breakdown. He should get another All Black chance or two this year.
The Crusaders have survived two yellow cards to defeat the Chiefs 24-13 in the Super Rugby Aotearoa final to clinch their fifth straight title. #SuperRugbyAotearoa #CRUvCHI https://t.co/e2dWyAxGjD
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 8, 2021
9. Brad Weber – 6
Head knock at 12 and didn’t look right. Good call to take him off for an HIA but he returned with a vengeance to direct his team. Finally off at 69.
10. Bryn Gatland – 6.5
In the frenetic pace he was one, cool, calm presence. That was until he pulled the behind the back 20 metre pass in the 39th minute! (that was under advantage, to be fair). Off at 44 and in hindsight could have been the best player to exploit a two man advantage if he’d been on the field.
11. Etene Nanai-Seturo – 5
Another Chief who couldn’t continue his fine form in the final. Missed Fainga’anuku in the 7th minute and couldn’t get back to his wing to halt Reece for the first try. Knocked on a tough pass in 22nd and just wasn’t able to inject himself into the action and show clean footwork like we’ve seen from him in regular season.
12. Alex Nankivell – 6
Dainty stepping in the first minutes, good work over the ball on Reece to win an important turnover in 19th minute and then seconds later beat Reece, drew Jordan and slid a perfect ball to Dmac for their first try. Also stepped up to close down Fainga’anuku after he caused chaos early. Off at 65.
13. Anton Lienert-Brown – 6.5
Fantastic tackle on Drummond to save a try in the 4th minute. Inserted himself into the attack around the 13th-14th minute to set up the Chiefs’ first points. He is the best type of glue for any midfield and will be an important All Black in the next year or two.
14. Jonah Lowe – 7
He is an energiser bunny and he left his best until tonight. Magic piece of play around 32 minutes with a party trick pass to McKenzie and then moments later he received a challenging ball to almost pull off a miracle try. Didn’t quite have the pace to make the most of his chance in space at 47.
15. Damian McKenzie – 6.5
Finally the pressure of being Mr Clutch showed, Dmac was superb but he couldn’t do it all and as his goal kicking touch deserted him it felt like a little of the absolute confidence drained from him. Muffed the bouncing ball in the Jordan try but was constantly a danger with the ball in hand, top metres for his team and a lovely finish in the corner.
David Havili has stated his case for an All Blacks re-call in the Super Rugby Aotearoa final by setting up Will Jordan for a spectacular try. #SuperRugbyAotearoa #CRUvCHI https://t.co/jZtMudInkL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 8, 2021
Reserves:
16. Bradley Slater – 5
On at 62. Busy at tackle time, a loose lineout throw at 69.
17. Ollie Norris – 5
On at 53 and is good around the field. Needs a few feeds to be a starter at scrum time.
18. Sione Mafileo – 4
On at 62 and he got bested by the boy-mountain Williams. You get the feeling he won’t be the last!
19. Naitoa Ah Kuoi – 6
On at 40. Immediately in the action taking control of one off balls, the lineout improved and sent a message to the selectors that they’d made a mistake in not picking him to start.
20. Zane Kapeli – 4
On at 66. Wasn’t able to create chances.
21. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi – 5.5
On at 12 for Weber’s HIA, threw a juicy pass for Dmac’s try. On at 69 again but the Crusaders were irrepressible at that stage.
22. Rameka Poihipi – 6
On at 65. Had some strong carries and is improving with every outing.
23. Chase Tiatia – 5.5
On at 44. Enabled a turnover at 46 with a tasty tackle and counter ruck. Then an exquisite chip and collect but denied by Whitelock at the breakdown. Got tagged at 76 trying to outpace Mo’unga but got caught and the resulting penalty meant game over.
Comments on RugbyPass
I reckon it may be Jordan at 10 and Nohamba at 9, both players have played together alot and both have been on the Radar for a long time. After Pollard got injured in 2022 with Elton sidelined on a path of self destruction Erasmus and Nienaber indicated that the other options in the country at the time were thin but that Jordan and Manie were the 2 they were looking at. In the end Frans steyn played flyhalf, Willemse slotted in there on the end of year with Libbok as back up. Jordan was right there in the thinking back then so expect him to take the Jersey either as the starter.
1 Go to commentsHaha did he always say it in a sarcastic teacher sort of manor or was it the petulant English snob sort of wail?
37 Go to commentsWell said Mils. It is a big boost at last having Fergus Burke back at 10 for the Crusaders. Had a great season last year as the article says. Mils is also right about captain Codie Taylor’s performance in his return to the Crusaders last week. He was all class.
4 Go to commentsLet’s make them both Capt. I think we'd get the best of both of them and it would help alleviate some of the pressures of the role. They'd have to confer over on field decisions which should lead to “ learnings “ for both. They are our two best consistent performers.
16 Go to commentsOur best player by far..but not a good Captain..poor tactician cost the AB'S and Canes games by not taking the easy points and going for tries when the lineouts were a shambles..can he read a game? And his throat slitting gesture should disqualify him from the AB Captaincy..it is not the appropriate behaviour of an AB Captain.
16 Go to commentsForget what was said or how many players said it. TONY BROWN IS THE NEW ATTACK COACH. That’s the only story worth freaking out over. The springboks are going to grow their game an awful lot over the next cycle and it’s not just the 19 disgustingly arrogant Irish players who refused to shake Ebens hand and said “see you in the final if you can cheat your way past France” who will find that out first hand.
122 Go to commentsOn one hand I think it's a bit ridiculous that this gar into the season and with only 2 wins the Crusaders may make the finals. On the other hand if it was only top 4 or 5, then that last several weeks may be mainly dead rubbers. Nope, 8th place after round robin shouldn't be able to lift the trophy.
4 Go to commentsI do think the media in NZ treated him badly. Sam is a legend. He is humble, a great rugby mind and leader. What happened in the final could happen to anyone. The margins is so fine these days. I lay blame at the feet of the coaching staff and NZ rugby. The stats tell’s all. The AB’s was the worst disciplined side in the WC with more red and yellow cards than anyone else. Problem is NZ rugby is not training their players to play safer. And thats the danger a fast game brings. More yellow and red cards. But Sam Cane in my eye was and still is a great ambassador for the game, that just had a stroke of bad luck.
6 Go to commentsI hope Jim and co. Add this to their list of icebreaker questions they can ask all their guests going forward. So we can eventually hear what everyone thinks about this subject. “What do you think Ireland meant…”
122 Go to commentsHe’s a dominant personality. That might be both a good and bad thing in team dynamics. Certainly it ruined Smith’s first crack at 10 with Owen at 12. BTW, Bristol flatter to deceive. When things really matter, they tend to deliver less rather than more. Farrell would have been good for them
37 Go to commentsGot a lot of over the top abuse from Crusader fans, in particular, who thought every 7 they had was miles better. Now we will see if anyone is better? Laid his body on the line every game so finishing early makes sense. A lot of life left after rugby.
6 Go to commentsA poor decision to appoint Carley as not only is Pearce a better referee but also importantly speaks French.
2 Go to commentsHe is 100 % on the mark. Malicious arrogance with a lack of respect for the other teams mostly the south. they must learn from True rugby nations like the Boks and Kiwis
122 Go to commentsThis Outiniqua boy has played sublime rugby and deserves a spot in BI LIONS team. Well played son
4 Go to commentsI don’t like to see players miss big matches but this ban looks to be tailored to allow him to compete in the final. In principle a suspension for a very dangerous tackle in a semi should warrant missing the relevant final. Done now. One the flip side having both teams with very strong squads/teams available for the final will add to the occassion hopefully.
1 Go to commentsTalent to burn and a huge engine..hope he gets a shot at higher honours
2 Go to commentsIf anything like his dad he has a bright future, Soane was the best ball carrying props ive ever seen using a combination of pace power and footwork.
1 Go to commentsThose who saw Sharks vs Clermont and Ox N'Che vs Rabah Slimani should have a good idea of the best scrumagers… May be not the best props…
2 Go to commentsIt's been an unusual era of unpopular, highly competitive, domineering, fairly big fly halves in the home nations with Farrell, Sexton and Biggar. Russell is different in personality and player I think. I'd rank Sexton first of the three because he is just as good a game controller but also has a great passing game. And his competitiveness never seems to cause problems with refs.
37 Go to commentsThank goodness he wasn't born in Scotland, he'd have been a great candidate for the Scottish Barbarians. I wouldn't put it past them to push for a “where the player was conceived” rule 😂
2 Go to comments