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Jacobson takes captain's armband for Chiefs as Ratima earns first start

By Tom Vinicombe
Luke Jacobson. (Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images)

Coach Clayton McMillan has made 10 changes to the Chiefs’ starting line-up for their rematch with Moana Pasifika on Saturday afternoon.

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Last time the two sides butted heads, the Chiefs ran away with a 59-12 victory. While the Pacific Islanders have come on leaps and bounds in the weeks since, McMillan has still looked to give minutes to some of the less experienced members of his squad, knowing full well that there are potentially nine more matches to play on the trot following this weekend.

All Blacks Samisoni Taukei’aho, Sam Cane and Quinn Tupaea have all been given a week off, as well as the in-form Pita Gus Sowakula, while Brad Weber drops to the bench. With co-captains Cane and Weber both absent from the run-on side, Luke Jacobson has been handed captaincy duties for the second time in his Chiefs career after leading the team to a 36-26 win over the Rebels last season.

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In the front row, Aidan Ross and Taukei’aho have been replaced by Ollie Norris and Bradley Slater, while Angus Ta’avao holds down duties on the tighthead side of the scrum.

Tupou Vaa’i will make his first appearance at lock since the Chiefs’ fourth-round clash with the Crusaders and will partner Josh Lord – with the two resuming their partnership from last year’s end-of-year All Blacks tour game against Italy for the first time. The man who wore the No 5 jersey last weekend, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, drops to the reserves.

With Jacobson taking over from Sowakula at the back of the scrum, Mitch Brown and Kaylum Boshier will combine on the flanks. Brown will make his first appearance of the season after spending the first half of the campaign sidelined through injury.

21-year-old Cortez Ratima takes over at halfback for his first start at Super Rugby level and will pair up with Bryn Gatland. There’s a new combination in the midfield thanks to Tupaea’s absence coupled with a long-term injury suffered by Anton Lienert-Brown, Rameka Poihipi and Alex Nankivell wearing the No 12 and 13 jerseys, respectively.

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In the outside backs, Etene Nanai-Seturo will make his fourth appearance in a row on the left wing with Shaun Stevenson taking over from Jonah Lowe on the right. Chase Tiatia once again gets the nod at fullback.

Tyrone Thompson, Ross and George Dyer will cover the front row via the bench while Samipeni Finau will do the same for the loose forwards. Rivez Reihana and Lowe make up the final two members of the match-day 23.

While McMillan had never planned to make huge changes for the final game of the Chiefs’ NZ fixtures, it’s a move that’s been forced thanks to the rejigged draw that saw them lose their mid-season bye.

“That sort of changed the landscape quite a lot, that’s why we’ve been forced, to a certain extent, to rest those guys this week,” McMillan said.

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“They’ve carried big loads, and given the injuries that we’ve had, we’ve just had to find some space somewhere before we head into the next big block of games.”

Saturday’s match kicks off at 4:35pm NZT and the Chiefs will be hoping to earn their first home win of the season after dropping matches against the Crusaders and Blues.

Chiefs: Chase Tiatia, Shaun Stevenson, Alex Nankivell, Rameka Poihipi, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Bryn Gatland, Cortez Ratima, Luke Jacobson, Kaylum Boshier, Mitch Brown, Tupou Vaa’i, Josh Lord, Angus Ta’avao, Bradley Slater, Ollie Norris. Reserves: Tyrone Thompson, Aidan Ross, George Dyer, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Samipeni Finau, Brad Weber, Rivez Reihana, Jonah Lowe.

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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