Five of the best: The top five performers from round six of Super Rugby Aotearoa
It would be no exaggeration to say that the most recent weekend of Super Rugby Aotearoa action was probably the most exciting and compelling round since the competition got underway.
Looking to bounce back after losing their unbeaten title to the Crusaders, the Blues were pipped by the Hurricanes in Wellington thanks to a clutch Jordie Barrett conversion from an Asafo Aumua try on the sideline with just three minutes to play.
That 29-27 victory extended the Hurricanes’ winning run to three straight matches, meaning they have well and truly overturned their winless start to the campaign last month.
The real test for Jason Holland’s side, though, will come next week, when they travel to Christchurch to face off the undefeated Crusaders who will be fresh and rearing to go off their bye week.
The Highlanders, meanwhile, were made to earn their upcoming week off against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Sunday, fighting back from 24-0 and 31-7 deficits to snatch an unlikely 33-31 win two minutes into injury time.
It was a dogged display of real determination to get themselves back into the contest, and the jubilation seen among the playing and coaching staff illustrated how much the comeback victory meant to the franchise.
The fourth-placed southerners now sit just three points adrift of the second-placed Blues leading into their bye week, but the Chiefs remain a long way off with only four points to their name at the bottom of the standings.
With all that in mind, here are the five best players from round six of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes)
It has to be said that this was probably Ngani Laumape’s finest performance since switching to rugby union from the NRL four years ago.
His trademark ability to plough through defenders and leave them in a much worse state than he found them was on full show throughout the encounter, just ask Otere Black and Beauden Barrett.
But we already knew he could do that – what made Laumape’s display special was the fact that he showed glimpses of footwork and speed that was previously an unknown aspect of his game.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC1sgapAZmE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The way in which he skinned Barrett down the left sideline with a right foot step hinted that the second-five may wield the potential to thrive at this level as a wing, the same position he played during his time with the Warriors.
Whether his kicking game and aerial ability is up to scratch is another question entirely, but with match statistics that read a try, 160 running metres, five defenders beaten, four clean breaks and two offloads, it will be hard for the 27-year-old to be ignored by Ian Foster.
Aaron Smith (Highlanders)
The only other challenger for this week’s mantle of best player of the round would have to be Aaron Smith, who was at the focal point of the Highlanders’ remarkable turnaround at FMG Stadium Waikato.
Building on a string of performances that have made him the franchise’s most valuable player this season, Smith was critical to his side’s chances of success, whether it was his communication, tactical awareness or livewire energy across the park.
So good was the 31-year-old that he played a vital role in three of his team’s five tries through both his exquisite passing and effective running game.
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Smith’s ability to mislead the Chiefs’ defence by feeding the ball to Josh McKay on a switch play in the lead-up to Mitch Hunt’s try was commendable, but his constant presence to keep the ball alive while teaming up with McKay and Manaaki Selby-Rickit was as enthralling as it was important to scoring himself.
The final nail in the coffin came in the last play of the match when the Chiefs, leading by just five points, expected to defend a rolling maul on their own tryline.
Smith had other ideas, though, as he took the ball off the back of the maul and drew in Anton Lienert-Brown to create a gaping hole for Sio Tomkinson to soar through as the Highlanders snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Dalton Papalii (Blues)
Were it not for the fact that Sam Cane is the All Blacks captain, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Dalton Papalii’s efforts for the Blues warrant a starting spot for the national side.
Sure, his exploits with ball in hand at Sky Stadium on Saturday weren’t as good as they have been in other matches this year, but it was his explosiveness and tenacity on defence that really caught the eye.
Registering a round-high 18 tackles, it was the venom in Papalii’s hits against the Hurricanes that impressed, and it’s that physical edge on defence that has set him apart from a competitive contingent of loose forwards in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Capping off his outing with a try off the back of a rolling maul, the three-test flanker stands as a strong contender to fill the void left by Matt Todd in the All Blacks, and will form an intriguing head-to-head battle with Cane when the Chiefs travel to Auckland next week.
Lachlan Boshier (Chiefs)
If Papalii heads the chasing pack looking to vacate an open spot in the All Blacks’ loose forward mix, his Chiefs counterpart Lachlan Boshier is his primary challenger for a promotion into the national side.
Grabbing the attention of onlookers nationwide with his top-notch performances on either side of the ball prior to Super Rugby’s suspension in March, a crackdown on interpretations of refereeing at the breakdown stunted Boshier’s impressive output.
The uncapped 25-year-old was earning more penalties than turnovers in the opening weeks of Super Rugby Aotearoa as he – like plenty of others – struggled to adjust to the new law adjustments.
Two players received an 8/10, but it wasn't enough to secure the Chiefs a win over the Highlanders in spectacular circumstances in Hamilton.https://t.co/Aoy1b0NuQX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 19, 2020
He has, however, seemingly accustomed himself to those changes, as was evidenced against the Highlanders, where he shone as the Chiefs’ best player.
Boshier’s teammates thwarted two potentially game-winning turnovers made by the No. 6 in the final few minutes through their ill-discipline, but with figures reading one try, 55 running metres, three defenders beaten, two clean breaks, 10 tackles and five lineout wins, it would be unwise to rule him out of the national selection frame just yet.
Shannon Frizell (Highlanders)
If Aaron Smith has been the Highlanders’ best player throughout the Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, Shannon Frizell can’t be too far off him for that crown given how destructive he’s been this year.
Originally omitted from the squad to travel to the World Cup last year after falling behind Luke Jacobson in the national pecking order, it would now be unfathomable to see Frizell miss out on Foster’s first All Blacks squad next month.
That’s how good the Tongan-born 26-year-old has been over the past month or so, and his hot run of form didn’t dissipate against the Chiefs.
It's no surprise to see the Highlanders rate highly as they emerged victorious in what has to be the match of the season.https://t.co/RpgbiSE3df
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 19, 2020
A menace on attack, Frizell ran for a whopping 88 metres – more than any other forward in the round – after making three clean breaks.
He fronted up on defence as well, making the most tackles of any Highlanders player (eight) with the sort of physicality that has made him a force to be reckoned with in the New Zealand game.
Comments on RugbyPass
It 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.
25 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 🤐
13 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….
25 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….
13 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….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments