How the Chiefs can dethrone the Crusaders as the alpha team of Super Rugby Aotearoa
In terms of squad balance whereby experience blends with youth across the board, there are few teams whose rosters can topple that of the Chiefs.
Aside from the lock department, where they are missing veteran Brodie Retallick who remains on his two-season sabbatical, they have at least one All Black represented in each positional group.
Add to that the development of some of the most promising youngsters in the league, including Quinn Tupaea, Etene Nanai-Seturo and Naitoa Ah Kuoi, and Warren Gatland’s side register as one of the firm favourites to challenge for the Super Rugby Aotearoa title.
That shouldn’t come as surprise to anyone given how well the Chiefs were tracking before the Super Rugby season was nullified back in March.
With first-five Aaron Cruden winding back the clock to team up with livewire halfback Brad Weber, the Hamilton side’s backline worked a treat.
Anton Lienert-Brown dazzled in the midfield, while Damian McKenzie was the headline act in an outside back trio that also featured the exciting Solomon Alaimalo and Shaun Stevenson.
In the pack, there was arguably no better performer in the loose forwards throughout the entire competition than Lachlan Boshier, who really established himself as a genuine contender to fill the gap left by Matt Todd in the national set-up.
Weigh in the injury-plagued yet committed and talented workhorse Luke Jacobson, dominant ball-carrying No. 8 Pita Gus Sowakula and, of course, All Blacks captain Sam Cane, and the Chiefs’ loose forward depth is enviable.
Elsewhere, Samisoni Taukei’aho has blossomed into a regular starting candidate at hooker, building on the potential shown that apparently brought him to the attention of All Blacks selectors a few years ago.
On either side of the scrum, Taukei’aho is complemented by Aidan Ross, who shone as one of the in-form props of Super Rugby earlier this year, and Nepo Laulala, who is indisputably the best tighthead in New Zealand.
With such a complete starting lineup – aside from the Retallick-less second row – the Chiefs posted some significant victories over the Blues, Crusaders, Sunwolves and Waratahs throughout January, February and March.
Those wins left them sitting in fifth place on the overall standings and they loomed as serious contenders to challenge for their third title at that early stage of the season.
In that round four clash at FMG Stadium Waikato, the Chiefs found themselves 19-0 adrift at half-time, with the visitors capitalising on the hosts’ lazy start and leaky defence to run in three first half tries.
A brace to Wallabies loose forward Pete Samu completed early in the second stanza enhanced the Brumbies’ buffer to 26-0, which was too big a mountain to climb for the Chiefs, who eventually fell 26-14.
It was a dismal display by the two-time Super Rugby champions, but that type of slow start wasn’t uncommon throughout the now-defunct season, as the Hamiltonians had to come from behind to usurp the Blues and Crusaders in consecutive weeks.
The tactical guile of Cruden can largely be attributed to those comebacks, as can the tenacious defensive presence of Boshier, but the Chiefs shouldn’t have to rely on making up for lacklustre starts to games in order to win them.
In Super Rugby Aotearoa, the Chiefs can ill-afford to be caught napping early on and suffer the same fate as they did against the Brumbies, because while they’ve shown they’re capable of recovering from a first half onslaught, one slip up in this league – which has no play-offs format – could scupper their entire campaign.
How Gatland inspires his troops to wake up from their pre-match doze once the referee blows for kick-off remains to be seen, but you imagine those improvements will be implemented when the face the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.
In their quest for a campaign-opening win, the Chiefs will be without the services of All Blacks prop Atu Moli, who has been lauded by some plaudits for his ability to anchor either side of the scrum.
That versatility is a significant yet oft-overlooked aspect of the game, and Saturday’s visitors will be worse for it as Moli joins an extensive injury list that also includes fellow international Angus Ta’avao, Michael Allardice, Laghlan McWhannell and Sam McNicol.
Also absent is skipper Cane, whose stiff back forces him to sit out this match. His return, though, will strengthen an already powerful-looking Chiefs outfit against the Blues next week.
Provided they start off on the right foot and build on where they left off in March, they could head into that match already a leg up should they emerge successful against the Highlanders in front of a boisterous Forsyth Barr Stadium crowd.
Should they make it two from two, it would take a brave soul to bet against the Chiefs as they eye to dethrone the Crusaders as the alpha team of Super Rugby’s Kiwi contingent.
Comments on RugbyPass
Did the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to commentsThe 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.
16 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to comments