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Leon MacDonald's big mistake: why David Havili would have been a better target than Beauden Barrett

By Hamish Bidwell
(Photos by Getty Images)

What Leon MacDonald wouldn’t give for David Havili.

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It’s clear that MacDonald and the Blues have the makings of a useful Super Rugby side. The tight five are increasingly reliable, there’s workrate and aggression among the loose forwards, and some individual talent in the backs.

There’s no obvious nous, though. No leadership, no-one to take ownership of the winning and losing of a match.

The now-injured Rieko Ioane can flex all the muscles he likes, but his sphere of influence from the wing is nil.

What the Blues lack, and have done for years, is a playmaker. A man with vision and a broad skillset. You can have all the great athletes you like, but there’s no substitute for an ability to control a team and execute a gameplan.

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MacDonald’s no fool. He knows all that. It’s why he and the Blues sought to recruit Beauden Barrett from the Hurricanes.

But there’s the rub. Signing an elite All Black sounds a good idea, it’s just that it doesn’t always work out in practice.

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Barrett’s not on deck for 2020 until some time in April. Having not deigned to appear in this year’s competition, at some point he’ll then trigger a clause in his contract that allows him to sit a season out entirely.

It’s good work if you can get it.

But it doesn’t help MacDonald much and, more broadly, underlines the value of what you might describe as the shrinking – and increasingly critical – middle tier of New Zealand rugby talent.

Havili played fullback and second five-eighth for the Crusaders in week one and, at short notice, handled the kicking duties as well. This week against the Chiefs, with Richie Mo’unga needing a spell to recover from a couple of niggles, Havili will run the Crusaders’ show from 10.

Is he the best player in New Zealand? Of course not, but few boast Havili’s array of skills or leadership ability.

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Having captained Tasman to a Mitre 10 Cup title, he’ll now steer the Crusaders around Hamilton’s FMG Stadium on Saturday night. It might prove a success, it might not, but it doesn’t diminish Havili’s worth to the side.

Or that of reserve lock Luke Romano.

Our Super Rugby sides have become populated either by kids or All Blacks saving themselves for a rainy day. There’s now precious little in-between and while we inevitably focus on the Crusaders being without star All Blacks such as Kieran Read this year, there’s an argument to be made that Matt Todd and Jordan Taufua are much bigger losses.

Signing Beauden Barrett should be cause for celebration. Just as, once upon a time, we were all quick to applaud Jamie Joseph when he recruited Tony Woodcock and Ma’a Nonu to the Highlanders or envy Todd Blackadder for having Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter at his disposal.

Only Blackadder never won a title at the Crusaders and Joseph only enjoyed any success in Dunedin once the big-name All Blacks left town.

In this era of rest weeks and restricted minutes for star players, guys who aren’t first-string All Blacks – but still boast degree of experience – are gold.

Yes we’re only one game in, but it was players such as Havili, Romano, Will Jordan, Lachlan Boshier, Tony Lamborn, Aidan Ross and Oli Jager who really excelled. Super Rugby is close to the pinnacle for them and they’re allowed to play every week. What more could you ask for?

In terms of Havili specifically, that playmaking ability provides the Crusaders with a vital point of difference. Between he and Mo’unga, you have options that only the Chiefs’ duo of Aaron Cruden and Damian McKenzie can match.

The Blues, at least until Barrett appears, don’t have anyone in that role, nor the Hurricanes, while the Highlanders are a bit of a curiosity, having pushed the emerging Josh Ioane out to 12 and installed Mitch Hunt at first five-eighth.

That’s an arrangement that could go either way, in part because neither Ioane nor Hunt are the finished article.

Havili is more seasoned, though, and the kind of guy who could influence the outcome of this year’s competition. He’s part of a Crusaders squad that still boasts its stars, but if they do go on and claim a fourth successive title, it will be because of men such as himself and Romano, Jordan, Michael Alaalatoa, Andrew Makalio, Mitchell Drummond, Quinten Strange, Billy Harmon, Mitchell Dunshea, Whetu Douglas, Tom Sanders and all the rest.

The stars might be front and centre of every team poster, but it’s the David Havilis of this world who win you competitions.

WATCH: Rugby Australia are set to enter into a bidding war for a 16-year-old rugby league star.

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J
Jon 3 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 5 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 7 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

28 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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