Clayton McMillan explains the puzzle that is the Chiefs backline
With Covid still having an influence on proceedings, it’s no major surprise that Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan has had to regularly tinker with his match-day line-up this year.
Last season, changes from one week to another were rather minimal – except when the Chiefs played a dead-rubber fixture with the Blues at the tail-end of the season. In 2022, however, it’s been almost impossible to roll out the same side from one game to the next. In fact, just two players – Quinn Tupaea and Alex Nankivell – will have featured in all six games this season, once this weekend’s match with the Hurricanes rolls around.
Some of that simply comes down to who’s available for selection each week, with Covid certainly causing a few headaches for McMillan, who watched last weekend’s loss to the Crusaders from his couch at home due to that very issue.
McMillan has also acknowledged time and time again, however, that it’s going to take more than just fifteen top players to take out the Super Rugby Pacific title this year and that simple fact has manifested itself in some changes to the line-up for Sunday’s clash.
After spending the first two fixtures on the bench behind Josh Ioane, Bryn Gatland was given the reins at No 10 for the Chiefs’ three most recent matches and generally played with confidence and vigour. Gatland, however, finds himself back in the reserves this week with Ioane once again tasked with steering the ship at first five.
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“Josh started the season really well, had a bit of an off-day against the Blues, and then we had a couple of weeks of disruption around Covid and a few injuries. Bryn got his opportunities, took them very well and made the selection around 10 for the last two or three weeks pretty straightforward,” McMillan said of the two pivots. “But Josh has been beavering away in the background and it’s really time for him to get another crack.
“Last year we were probably in a similar situation where [we had] some decent 10s and we’re still fortunate to be in that boat and just gotta keep ticking them over because anything can happen. Could lose somebody to sickness or injury and never have those guys in those driver positions ready to go.”
One such driver is Kaleb Trask, who earned three starts in the No 10 jersey last year before spending the latter half of the season at fullback. An ankle injury kept Trask out of the team for the opening rounds of the competition but the Bay of Plenty playmaker has looked incisive at No 15 over the past two weeks. Unfortunately for Trask, however, he’s now back on the sidelines.
“He’s just rolled his ankle on the weekend,” McMillan said of the 23-year-old. “It’s been a problematic ankle for him and was unfortunate for him because we always find Kaleb gets better with more rugby and managed to string two good games together, saw evidence of him getting better.
“This is just another setback but it’s not a season-ender or anything like that. He’ll be back.”
Meanwhile, in the midfield, All Black Anton Lienert-Brown is back on deck and has taken over from Nankivell at outside centre. Instead of dropping Nankivell to the reserves, however, he’s been shifted onto the right wing.
“I reckon he’s been one of our most consistent performers, particularly in the midfield,” said McMillan of Nankivell. “But we want to get Anton out there because he hasn’t played a hell of a lot of rugby so it’s a case of putting him in there and not wanting to lose Alex in the match-day XV. So he moves out to the wing.
“But he’s a great communicator, a great defender and a lot faster than what people probably think. Did a great job down there marking Leicester [Fainga’anuku] at the Crusaders a few weeks back and think he can do a good job against Wes [Goosen].”
Despite losing Brodie Retallick to a broken thumb, the return of Lienert-Brown, as well as gun loose forwards Pita Gus Sowakula and Luke Jacobson means the Chiefs will field as close to a full-strength line-up as at any other stage this season in this Sunday’s derby.
“We’re slowly getting there,” McMillan said. “I mean, you always want to have everyone available so you can select your absolute best side which we haven’t been able to achieve all year but if we can keep getting the majority of them out there and then work our way through Covid, work our way through the little dings, hopefully keep accumulating a few wins and when everyone comes on deck at the back-end of the season, it hopefully really sets us up well to give it a decent charge.
“Getting Pita Gus back, he was in some great form before he had his week off. Anton’s obviously been out for a few more weeks but he demonstrated a couple of weeks ago against the Crusaders that he can get up and get going relatively quickly. He’s keen as bricks to go. We’re happy with the squad we’ve put out this week.”
The Chiefs will take on the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Sunday afternoon with the match set to kick off at 4:35pm NZT.
Comments on RugbyPass
Should'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.
19 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.
19 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?
9 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.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments