'I'd really love if Maro Itoje came to the Chiefs': The international stars that NZ coaches would bring to Super Rugby
Were it not for the understandable intervention of Rugby Australia, Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor could have been donning a Chiefs jersey in the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa competition.
O’Connor approached the Chiefs about signing with the team for next season and if RA and the Reds had played ball, the 30-year-old could have been a replacement for the departed Aaron Cruden in the No 10 jersey.
“James approached us and we were keen to sign him but at the end of the day, we couldn’t get it across the line,” Chiefs CEO Michael Collins confirmed late last week. “It’s an opportunity for another player so we’ve moved on pretty quick.”
The global pandemic has forced a Super Rugby reshuffle for 2021, with the New Zealand and Australian teams set to once again play in separate tournaments before engaging in a six-week trans-Tasman competition.
South Africa and Argentina will again take no part, with the South African sides set to join the Northern Hemisphere’s PRO14 competition as soon as is feasible.
Their departures from Super Rugby means the competition will have considerably less international flavour to it; however, there will still be a number of non-Kiwis and non-Australians taking part.
A slew of Argentinian representatives, including Julian Montoya, Tomas Cubeli and Domingo Miotti have transferred from the Jaguares to the Western Force, along with Ireland international Rob Kearney, ensuring there’ll be some foreign representation in the Super Rugby AU competition.
In New Zealand, the Highlanders have signed Japan international Kazuki Himeno for 2021, a man who was one of the best performers for the quarter-finalists as last year’s Rugby World Cup, as well as Tongan centre Fetuli Paea.
Elsewhere around the country, Manu Samoa captain Michael Alaalatoa will again play a large role for the Crusaders while his fellow Samoa teammates James Lay and Ray Niuia are contracted to the Blues. The Auckland franchise are also reportedly chasing the signature of recent Pumas debutant Sebastian Chocobarres.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have Kane Le’aupepe on their books, leaving the Chiefs as the only team in Super Rugby Aotearoa to lack any foreign representatives.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Conversation podcast, new Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan has revealed the international player he’d be most interested in luring to Hamilton – and it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
“I’d really love if Maro Itoje came to the Chiefs,” said McMillan. “I think he might be able to add a little bit of value.”
"I find if you spend too much time away from the game, whether it only be three or four weeks or three or four months, I think you lose your touch. I think you lose an opportunity to innovate the game." #AllBlackshttps://t.co/6gm6CS2fMo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 21, 2020
Warren Gatland’s replacement has perhaps understated what Itoje – a man tipped as a possible British and Irish Lions captain next year – might bring to the Chiefs’ cause.
The 2012 and 2013 champions finished dead last in this year’s Aotearoa competition, succumbing to defeat eight times from eight attempts.
Despite the valiant efforts of debutants Tupou Vaa’i and Naitoa Ah Kuoi, plus the slog of loose forward Mitch Brown, the Chiefs were seriously lacking in experienced locking talent thanks to a slew of injuries, coupled with Brodie Retallick’s sabbatical.
It could be a similar story in 2021, with 22-year-old Laghlan McWhannell the oldest second-rower on the Chiefs’ books for the upcoming campaign.
Highlanders coach Tony Brown, meanwhile, said that he’d already secured the major foreign signature he wanted – that of loose forward Himeno. When pushed, Brown admitted that a pair of Japan’s outside backs would also do reasonably well in the free-flowing Aotearoa competition.
“Well it’s Himeno, he’s coming. I’d like to bring [Kotaro] Matsushima and [Kenki] Fukuoka – they’d go pretty good in New Zealand.”
Looking closer to home, McMillan admitted he quite happily poach All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith from the Highlanders (though named new halfback recruit Xavier Roe as the young Chiefs player to watch for 2021) while Brown, himself a former flyhalf, would bring Richie Mo’unga into the Highlanders fold “without hesitation”.
Scott Robertson, who coached the Crusaders to a fourth straight title in 2020, suggested he’d be gunning for the signature of one of the few men to have escaped the Crusaders’ grasp in recent years.
“Well, he’s the only player that’s really left, so Jordie Barrett,” Robertson said. “I’m not sure we could pay him to be fair. Jordie’s been great, he’s been down there, I’d like to have him back.”
Barrett shifted south from Taranaki for university study and made his provincial debut for Canterbury – under the tutelage of Robertson. While the Crusaders pushed hard to keep Barrett in the region, the All Black ultimately headed home and linked up with the Hurricanes, where he’s remained since 2017.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt 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.
28 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 🤐
19 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….
28 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….
19 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….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments