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Desperate to crack the playoffs’ Blues - Super Rugby 2018 Preview

By Campbell Burnes

There remain many more questions than answers when evaluating the chances of the Blues in Super Rugby 2018.

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Progress has been slow and steady under coach Tana Umaga, entering his third season at the helm. But the key determinant on whether that progress is trending sharply upwards will come if they can haul themselves off the bottom of the New Zealand conference log and reach those elusive playoffs for the first time since Pat Lam’s 2011 charges.

It can be done. But there are several caveats.

The first is that they stay largely injury-free, always a challenge in this attritional competition. Their depth is untested and shallow. Isaac Salmon anyone? (He was Tasman’s No 4 prop, if you’re asking). Matt Johnson? (He was a midfielder for the stuttering Southland Stags in 2017). Flanker Blake Gibson, Auckland’s player of the season, is out until April after shoulder surgery.

That leaves a lot on the broad shoulders of Jerome Kaino in his final campaign for the franchise, and lock Patrick Tuipulotu, who needs to start 2018 the way he finished 2017. Ofa Tu’ungafasi is the man to show us he can fill Charlie Faumuina’s considerable boots. Former All Blacks prop Ben Afeaki is the new scrum coach and he will be tasked with wringing every bit of power and technique out of Tu’ungafasi, a long-term All Blacks project.

The full-strength backline has an imposing look about it, starting with newly minted captain Augustine Pulu, who knows he needs a big few months to regain his All Blacks jersey. Some may not have heard of Stephen Perofeta. We can assure you the No 10 is the real deal, and just needs to show us consistent game management to augment his classy touches. Bryn Gatland will kick the goals as back-up.

We await the full flowering of Sonny Bill Williams’ attacking game. We know the 32-year-old can tackle and offload, but we saw little of the other subtle touches for the 2017 Blues. He did, however, start to bring those on the All Blacks’ northern tour. George Moala, probably at centre, will seek a strong campaign before he heads offshore.

In the outside backs, try this for a mix of pace and X-factor: Rieko Ioane, Matt Duffie, Melani Nanai, Michael Collins and young Caleb Clarke.

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So, can Umaga unlock the full potential of this unit? So many questions, so few answers. But they are more than capable if the stars align.

One to watch

Caleb Clarke is a real chip off the ol’ block, son of former All Black Eroni Clarke, who played the last of his 51 games for the Blues in 2000.

Clarke junior is not yet 19 but was in sizzling form on the New Zealand Under 20s wing last season. He won three caps for Auckland and looked at home in the Mitre 10 Cup but failed to kick on, partially due to injury. If he can crack the Blues’ starting XV, and receive decent service from the midfield, he could again show us his wares.

2018 Predictions

New Zealand Conference Placing: 4th

Player of the Year: Augustine Pulu

Rookie of the Year: Caleb Clarke

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Best Signing: Leni Apisai

Breakout Player: Akira Ioane

Squad Movements

InsLeni Apisai (Hurricanes) Isaac Salmon (Tasman), Mike Tamoaieta (North Harbour), Dalton Papali’i (Auckland), Glenn Preston (North Harbour), Jonathan Ruru (Otago), Otere Black (Hurricanes)/Dan Kirkpatrick (Wellington), Bryn Gatland (North Harbour), Matt Johnson (Southland), Tamati Tua (Northland), Caleb Clarke (Auckland)

Outs: Hame Faiva (Treviso, Italy), Charlie Faumuina (Toulouse, France), Steven Luatua (Bristol, England), Brandon Nansen (Stade Francais, France), Sam Prattley, Billy Guyton, Matt Vaega, Declan O’Donnell, Rene Ranger (La Rochelle, France), Ihaia West (Hurricanes), Piers Francis (Northampton, England)

Squad: Leni Apisai, Matt Moulds, James Parsons, Alex Hodgman, Sione Mafileo, Pauliasi Manu, Isaac Salmon, Mike Tamoaieta, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, Josh Goodhue, Scott Scrafton, Patrick Tuipulotu, Jimmy Tupou, Blake Gibson, Akira Ioane, Jerome Kaino, Dalton Papali’i, Glenn Preston, Kara Pryor, Murphy Taramai, Sam Nock, Augustine Pulu (c), Jonathan Ruru, Otere Black/Daniel Kirkpatrick, Bryn Gatland, Stephen Perofeta, TJ Faiane, Sonny Bill Williams, Matt Johnson, George Moala, Tamati Tua, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Melani Nanai, Matt Duffie, Michael Collins, Jordan Trainor

More Super Rugby Previews

Crusaders new dynasty just beginning

Hurricanes title window still open

Highlanders to bring same staunch attitude

 

 

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

40 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

40 Go to comments
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