First five Otere Black one of four players to part ways with the Blues following Super Rugby Trans-Tasman win
Four long-term stalwarts of the Blues have finished their careers with the Auckland franchise following Saturday night’s 23-15 win over the Highlanders.
Following the victory, head coach Leon MacDonald confirmed the Blues will have to make do without first five Otere Black, flanker Blake Gibson, lock Gerard Cowley-Tuioti and midfielder TJ Faiane in 2022, with the quartet all signing off on their Blues tenures on a high.
Black is perhaps the highest-profile departee, with the former Bay of Plenty fly-half heading to Japan ahead of next season’s revamped Top League.
Black joined the Blues in 2018 after three years with the Hurricanes – ostensibly to get out from underneath Beauden Barrett’s shadow and make a name for himself as a starting fly-half.
The 26-year-old wasn’t able to take the field in his first season with the Blues, however, after rupturing his ACL during the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup.
Black has become a semi-permanent fixture in the Blues No 10 jersey since making his debut in 2019, chalking up 40 appearances over three seasons and guiding the team to the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman title on Saturday evening.
With Beauden Barrett set to return to the organisation next year, Zarn Sullivan establishing himself as first-choice fullback and NRL star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck joining the franchise, Black has understandably decided that minutes could be hard to come by in the future.
Joining Black in Japan will be Cowley-Tuioti and Faiane.
29-year-old Cowley Tuioti has represented the Blues for six seasons and is rumoured to be taking Brodie Retallick’s spot at Wayne Smith’s Kobelco Steelers. Former All Blacks hooker James Parsons recently suggested that the second-rower could be due an All Blacks call-up later this season but his impending departure will likely curtail any potential call-up.
Faine – who’s stepped in as match-day captain of the franchise on regular occasions – has been the glue that’s held the Blues backline together in his half-century of matches. The 25-year-old’s destination is yet to be confirmed.
Otere Black is making every play a winning one right now but the Manawatu pivot didn't have the easiest start to his Super Rugby career with the Blues, writes @TomVinicombe. #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/8xtJYGAcRF
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 24, 2020
Openside flanker Gibson, meanwhile, is heading to another New Zealand franchise, having been forced out of the matchday 23 by the likes of Dalton Papalii, Tom Robinson, Akira Ioane and Hoskins Sotutu.
With All Black Dillon Hunt also on the books – though forging an ongoing battle with concussion – Gibson’s minutes at present are dictated by injuries.
Gibson was previously called in to train with the All Blacks in 2017 but has been usurped by young talent at the Blues.
All four departees played vital roles in Saturday evening’s victory over the Highlanders.
Black guided the team around the park well while Faiane was infallible in the midfield. Cowley-Tuioti was on the park for the full 80 minutes while Gibson joined the fray late in the match and scored the try that ultimately sealed the victory for the home side.
“We’re generally pretty full,” MacDonald said regarding the Blues roster for next season. “Maybe one or two to go.”
“There’s been a lot of decisions about where do we fit everybody,” added Blues chief executive Andrew Hore. “Hence the Blake’s and that of this world [leaving]. Second row … with [Cowley-Tuioti] leaving.
“Also, there’s a lot of young kids that are coming through … We’ll hopefully get that balance right now and that’s something the organisation wants to work on, is making sure we get that balance right between young and old, getting that experience and leadership across the board.”
The Blues’ victory over the Highlanders marked their first Super Rugby title since 2003.
Comments on RugbyPass
Why is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
1 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
8 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
8 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
8 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
8 Go to comments