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Five of the best: The top five performers from round nine of Super Rugby Aotearoa
It came a week earlier than most would have liked, but the Crusaders have emerged from round nine of Super Rugby Aotearoa as inaugural champions of the Kiwi domestic league.
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Needing just a win to get past a visiting Highlanders side full of intent, Scott Robertson’s men were put under the pump for the majority of the contest before a yellow card to Sio Tomkinson and a pair of George Bridge tries swung the momentum drastically.
The 32-22 result leaves the Blues and Hurricanes out of contention to budge the Crusaders out of top spot, making this week’s highly-anticipated Blues vs Crusaders re-match at Eden Park effectively a dead rubber.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, will travel to Dunedin to take on the Highlanders after condemning the Chiefs to a winless campaign on Saturday.
Their 31-18 victory at Sky Stadium in Wellington means the Chiefs have lost all eight of their games for the season, putting an end to a horror run of results in Warren Gatland’s maiden year with his hometown franchise.
With all that in mind, here are the five best performers from the weekend gone by.
Shannon Frizell (Highlanders)
Bruising, confrontational and utterly destructive on either side of the ball.
That’s one way you could describe Shannon Frizell, who has been playing like a man possessed for the Highlanders this year.
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That hot run of form didn’t diminish against the Crusaders either – just ask first-five Richie Mo’unga.
The star first-five felt the full brunt of Frizell’s powerhouse ability on attack, used as nothing more than a hit shield en route to the loose forward’s opening minute try before being ploughed over the top of during a charging run later in the second half.
The Highlanders tried their hardest but couldn't quite get the job done against a champion Crusaders outfit. Here's how the southerners rated ??https://t.co/TMdPcVfOIV
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 9, 2020
Finishing the match with 46 running metres, three defenders beaten, two clean breaks and a whopping 15 tackles from 16 attempts, there’s little more for the nine-test All Black to prove to Ian Foster with one round to go in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Much hype has been centred around Hoskins Sotutu as a potential starter for the national side, but don’t rule out Frizell from partnering Sam Cane and Ardie Savea from the No. 6 jersey in the loose forward mix.
Dillon Hunt (Highlanders)
Often going unnoticed or unheralded for the sheer amount of defensive work he has done throughout the tournament, Dillon Hunt certainly caught the eye with a standout performance against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
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Normally flourishing in the defensive aspect of the game, where he shines as a top tackler and constant turnover threat, the one-test All Blacks openside flanker proved his worth with ball in hand on multiple occasions at Orangetheory Stadium.
There were no theatrics from Scott Robertson on Sunday, despite the Crusaders being crowned #SuperRugbyAotearoa champions.https://t.co/5AbVrZRfcW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 9, 2020
Running with the ball eight times, Hunt made 50 metres – the most of any Highlanders forward – after beating three defenders and making a clean break.
His imminent presence around the ball proved threatening all game for the Crusaders, but he didn’t abandon his defensive duties either.
Hunt finished the match with 14 tackles – second only to Frizell – and managed to pinch two turnovers in an all-round display that highlighted his workmanlike ability that has been crucial for the Highlanders this season.
Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders)
It would be difficult to leave Richie Mo’unga out of the conversation when discussing who should win the Super Rugby Aotearoa Player of the Year award.
That’s how influential the 26-year-old playmaker has been for the Crusaders in their tilt for a fourth straight title, and he was again in the thick of things against the Highlanders.
He scored one try, assisted another, contributed a further 12 points off the boot and ran for 94 metres, making three clean breaks – one of which was key to George Bridge’s first try and another that should have been finished by Bryn Hall – in doing so.
Add to that his nine tackles from 11 attempts and turnover steal to boot, and the statistics sheet alone indicates how valuable a player Mo’unga is to both the Crusaders and New Zealand rugby.
That’s not even taking into account the intangibles, like his composure on the ball, ability to control the game and innate vision, and it’s a mix of all those factors that has led many nationwide to call for him to start at the All Blacks’ No. 10.
Peter Umaga-Jensen (Hurricanes)
Speaking of All Blacks selection, is it too late in Super Rugby Aotearoa for new bolter contenders to state their case for a national call-up?
That seems to be what young Hurricanes midfielder Peter Umaga-Jensen is doing at the moment, as he continued his good form that first skyrocketed against the Crusaders two weeks ago and carried it into Saturday’s clash with the Chiefs.
Within half an hour, the nephew of former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga had bagged a brace of tries, with his bulking 1.87m, 102kg frame difficult for the Chiefs to contain.
Don't be surprised to hear calls for Peter Umaga-Jensen to earn a surprise call-up to the All Blacks squad in the wake of the Hurricanes' #SuperRugbyAotearoa clash with the Chiefs. #HURvCHI https://t.co/UiZguPgqfA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 8, 2020
In scoring his second, Umaga-Jensen showed he isn’t just a one-trick pony, as it was his pace, vision and distribution that put Wes Goosen into space down the sideline, while it was his follow up play to support his wing that earned him the try.
With Ngani Laumape likely to be out for quite some time with his broken forearm, could Umaga-Jensen be a wildcard replacement for his franchise teammate in Foster’s 35-man squad?
Josh Ioane (Highlanders)
One man who did a world of wonder to advancing his All Blacks selection prospects over the weekend was Josh Ioane, who earned his second straight start for the Highlanders since a lengthy injury lay-off.
His performance against the Crusaders showed no signs of rustiness, though, as he emulated his opposite Mo’unga in the way he played.
Ioane found gaps that few others would have been able to identify, let alone exploit, but that’s exactly what the one-test All Blacks playmaker did to devastating effect.
Born in Auckland but playing for Otago, Josh Ioane has opened up about how he feels playing for the South Island in the upcoming North vs South clash.https://t.co/GO0RqCLcUq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 5, 2020
Whether it was his vision, footwork or passing skill set, the 25-year-old ran the Crusaders amuck, registering 89 running metres, three clean breaks, nine defenders beaten, two offloads and seven points from the boot.
The potential he wields is undeniable, and one would think he’s shown enough of it to win a re-call back into Foster’s squad after missing last year’s World Cup, but Ioane will have one more game in Highlanders colours to state his case against the Hurricanes next week.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
8 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
34 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
34 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 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.
13 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.
8 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?
34 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?
8 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!
8 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.
13 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!
11 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.
11 Go to comments