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Fans take to Twitter to pick the best Super Rugby player from each Kiwi team this season
Fans have taken to Twitter to take part in a voting campaign organised by the Super Rugby NZ account to determine who the best player from each Kiwi franchise has been this season.
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Although only seven rounds of the competition were played before the tournament came to a standstill due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there have been plenty of standout performers from each club in 2020.
The Blues in particular surged into a vein of form rarely seen by the Auckland side since their last play-offs appearance in 2011, and currently sit in fourth place on the table while Super Rugby remains suspended.
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Leading their charge was rookie wing Mark Telea, who sits top the defenders beaten charts, and second in the try-scoring, clean breaks and metres carried tallies.
His efforts proved to be too much for skipper Patrick Tuipulotu, dependable midfielder TJ Faiane and impressive No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu, who were all unsuccessful nominees for Blues MVP in the voting polls.
Racking up 40 percent of the votes, Telea topped the podium with Tuipulotu finishing in second with 28 percent, while Sotutu came in at third with 23 percent, leaving Faiane in last spot with only nine percent of the count.
Lagging just behind the Blues on the standings are the Chiefs, whose 27-24 defeat to the Hurricanes in the last round of action has left them stuck in fifth spot for the time being.
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Coached by new boss Warren Gatland, the Hamilton side had been in sparkling form before Super Rugby came to a halt, with the likes of flanker Lachlan Boshier, returning pivot Aaron Cruden, and All Blacks duo Brad Weber and Anton Lienert-Brown all shining in their respective positions.
All four players received nominations to be crowned Chiefs MVP for this season, but it was All Blacks prospect Boshier who ran away with the title, finishing in first place with a whopping 48 percent of the votes.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has confirmed he will be taking a pay cut, and that players will follow suit, as New Zealand Rugby looks to limit its costs.https://t.co/3N5iSGGJFG
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 28, 2020
Halves duo Cruden and Weber earned a joint-second finish with 20 percent of the count, while Lienert-Brown’s efforts won him 12 percent of the public’s hearts.
Just behind the Chiefs lie the Hurricanes, whose win over their North Island neighbours in Hamilton two weeks ago leaves them in sixth spot from as many matches.
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That last-gasp win at FMG Stadium Waikato can be attributed to the boot of star fullback Jordie Barrett, who had proven to be one of the key players not just in that match, but throughout the entirety of the Hurricanes’ season.
The 17-test All Black subsequently won 44 percent of the public’s vote in a landslide victory for the Hurricanes MVP award, leading fellow nominees Ngani Laumape (26 percent), Ben Lam (16 percent) and Du’Plessis Kirifi (14 percent).
Further south are the New Zealand conference-leading Crusaders, who sit in third place overall and trail the first-placed Sharks by a solitary point.
With five wins from six matches, there have been a plethora of MVP candidates to choose from Scott Robertson’s side, but few, if any, have impressed more than three-cap All Blacks fullback David Havili.
Kieran Read has admitted he's unlikely to return to Japan this season despite the Top League rugby competition working to return in the coming months.https://t.co/AU8MfyGaHN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 28, 2020
The 25-year-old had been in scintillating form for the reigning back-to-back-to-back champions until he needed emergency surgery to fix a bowel infection, sparking numerous calls for an international re-call.
Havili’s exploits earned him 34 percent of the fan vote, seven percent ahead of the second-placed Jack Goodhue, who edged out tireless rookie flanker Tom Christie by two percent, while new captain Scott Barrett came in at last place with 14 percent.
Things haven’t been so rosy for the Highlanders in 2020, as the Dunedin club sit in 11th place with just one to their name.
The raft of key departures has certainly taken its toll for the southern men this season, but the retention of 92-test All Black Aaron Smith last year was much-needed, as has been reflected in the fans’ votes.
The 31-year-old accrued a whopping 47 percent of the tally to outshine fellow Highlanders MVP nominees Jona Nareki (26 percent), Marino Mikaele-Tu’u (15 percent) and Jesse Parete (12 percent).
In other news:
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be smart - go black
12 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
12 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure 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!
3 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.
12 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.
26 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!
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