'He's produced the goods': Ex-All Black's shock pick for Super Rugby Pacific MVP

Blues lock Luke Romano has been named by a former All Blacks star as his Most Valuable Player in Super Rugby Pacific this year.

Speaking on The Breakdown, All Blacks centurion Mils Muliaina named Romano as his pick for the competition’s MVP award ahead of various other stars due to the influence the veteran second rower has had on the Auckland-based franchise.

Joining the Blues this year following 11 seasons with the Crusaders, Romano has been an integral figure for his new side during their run into this week’s quarter-finals as Super Rugby Pacific’s top seeds amid a 13-match unbeaten streak.

Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 15

Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 15

The World Cup-winning 36-year-old made 136 appearances for the Crusaders en route to winning five titles, and Muliaina said that injection of experience has been a key factor in the success enjoyed by the Blues this year.

“I think what Luke has done this year, in terms of his leadership, he’s brought some real backbone to the Blues,” Muliaina told The Breakdown.

“This Blues team is totally different. The coaches have done an outstanding job, with Leon [MacDonald] and Tom Coventry, but they’ve brought this man into the frame that takes a baby Blues team and has that real backbone.

“Over a number of years, we’ve gone, ‘Oh, here we go, not the Blues again, not this Blues of old again’. They haven’t got that.

“That’s built around this guy who used to be in the Crusaders. He’s brought that element to it, but he’s also produced the goods.

“I remember that first game when he first played for the Blues. He came back and I was like, ‘Man, he’s massive, he looks absolutely huge’, but he went 80-odd minutes that game.

“I was like, ‘Mate, he has got a big engine’, so, from then on, what he’s done is taken the whole team with him. That backbone, I reckon, a lot of that is contributed to the way the way Romano has come into this and shared that.”

It’s for that reason that Muliaina picked Romano not only as his Super Rugby Pacific MVP, but as one of two locks in his Super Rugby Pacific New Zealand Form XV.

“It has to be Luke Romano,” Muliaina said. “Luke Romano, to me, the reason why he is [my MVP] is because of what his influence was for this Blues team.”

Muliaina’s fellow panellists Sir John Kirwan and Jeff Wilson agreed with his assessment about how valuable Romano has been for the Blues, but offered their own alternative selections for the MVP accolade.

Instead, Kirwan picked Blues captain Dalton Papalii – who he labelled the “best loose forward in the country” – as his MVP.

“Mine was Dalton Papalii, and the reason for this is he is such a young man, really good leadership skills, and if you watch him, he actually has the ability not to say a lot as well,” Kirwan told The Breakdown.

“He’ll let Beauden [Barrett] talk, but what you’re seeing on the screen now, really good turnovers at the right time, and just has continued to grow this year and some great captain’s knocks.

“I think that maturity, leadership, [makes him the] best loose forward in the country.”

Wilson, meanwhile, opined that Crusaders star Will Jordan warrants the title of Super Rugby Pacific MVP as he believes the Christchurch-based outfit wouldn’t have finished the regular season in second place without his services.

“I’ve changed since we had the conversation this morning. I had Finlay Christie as being that guy, but then I looked deep into the fact I don’t think the Crusaders are even in this conversation without Will Jordan,” Wilson said.

“I think his performances this year have been so influential, the tries and creativity he has shown – had he not been playing like this, the Crusaders would not be sitting second on the table.

“I think his form this year has been as good as I’ve seen in a long time in the No 15 jersey at Super Rugby level, and so, for me, I think he is the Most Valuable Player right now because they’ve done a lot of it without Richie Mo’unga.

“They needed someone to step up, they’ve finished second on the table. The players you’re talking about are great, but, bottom line, I don’t think they win as many games without him being on the field.”

Elsewhere, The Breakdown host Kirstie Stanway offered her own input as to which player should be crowned Super Rugby Pacific MVP.

“I challenge any of you three to argue with me, because my MVP for 2022 is Beauden Barrett,” Stanway said.

“He’s a difference maker. You talk about needing a world-class first-five to win a title, well if you look back at the champions over the last decade, they’ve all had international first-fives, and he’s been the difference for the Blues.

“They would not have won 13 in a row if it wasn’t for this guy.”

Papalii, Jordan and Barrett all joined Romano in Muliaina’s Form XV, which featured a total of nine Blues players, of whom were accompanied by two Chiefs, two Hurricanes, one Crusader and one Highlander.

Arguably the most notable selection comes at second-five, where Hurricanes star Jordie Barrett has been picked to accomodate for the selection of Jordan at fullback.

“He’s the top in terms of offloads, he’s second in terms of carries. In terms of his kicking metres, he’s third,” Muliaina told The Breakdown when asked to explain why he picked Barrett at second-five.

“Post-contact metres, he’s seventh, so you can’t leave him out because the fact is he was doing that post-moving into 12 from 15, and I like the fact he’s in a struggling team.

“That’s when guys really step up, guys who are All Blacks and incumbents step up. Will Jordan’s just in a class of his own at the moment. He’s just carving up, so I couldn’t leave him out.

“He goes to the back, Barrett goes to 12 because, when I look across the board in terms of all our 12s, I don’t think there’s actually a standout, out-and-out 12 that will go, ‘Hey, bang, I deserve to be picked in Mils Muliaina’s form team’.”

Jordan is the only Crusaders player to make Muliaina’s team, which the 2011 World Cup-winner justified by highlighting the squad rotation done by Crusaders boss Scott Robertson throughout the course of the season.

Mils Muliaina’s Super Rugby Pacific New Zealand Form XV

1. Aidan Ross (Chiefs)
2. Kurt Eklund (Blues)
3. Ofa Tuungafasi (Blues)
4. Luke Romano (Blues)
5. Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs)
6. Shannon Frizell (Highlanders)
7. Dalton Papalii (Blues)
8. Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)
9. Finlay Christie (Blues)
10. Beauden Barrett (Blues)
11. Caleb Clarke (Blues)
12. Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes)
13. Rieko Ioane (Blues)
14. Mark Telea (Blues)
15. Will Jordan (Crusaders)