'Lincoln's the main man': Moana Pasifika boss backs young star against Crusaders
Moana Pasifika head coach Aaron Mauger has full faith young first-five Lincoln McClutchie will live up to expectation in his Super Rugby Pacific debut against the Crusaders on Friday.
McClutchie is one of 11 debutants who have been named by Mauger to play the competition juggernauts at Forsyth Barr Stadium, but few of the 22-year-old’s peers have been earmarked for great things like he has in years gone by.
A former schoolboy star at Hastings Boys’ High School, McClutchie has impressed at provincial level since his Hawke’s Bay debut four years ago, but has struggled to get a look in at Super Rugby level.
With opportunities hard to come by in New Zealand, McClutchie took his talents abroad in 2020, plying his trade in the Top League for the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes before returning to guide the Magpies to an NPC Championship title later that year.
Even then, the mercurial playmaker couldn’t attract the attention of the five New Zealand franchises, enabling Moana Pasifika to swoop in and secure his signature in what is a coup for the new expansion outfit.
Mauger himself said that McClutchie’s imminent Super Rugby Pacific debut this weekend is one that is “long overdue”, and he is excited to see what the exciting youngster can conjure up against the might of the Crusaders.
“He’s really keen. He’s the guy that runs our game. He’s the guy that pulls the strings,” Mauger said of McClutchie, who will start at No 10 against the serial title-winners in two days’ time, on Wednesday.
“Keps [Moana Pasifika captain Sekope Kepu] gets to run out first, but Lincoln’s the main man, really. Keps will make the big decisions around where we go, but Lincs is the guy on the run. He’s really got his hand on the steering wheel.
“He’s done a great job. He’s really earned the trust of, certainly the coaching group, and then the players around him, and I know the boys back him.
“They’ll be right in behind him, and if we can give him a good ride and give him lots of good information as we go through the game around where we need to go, then we’ll see the best of him.
“He’s one of those guys that’s long overdue for a debut at this level, so looking forward to seeing him go.”
McClutchie’s task of acclimatising to the rigours of Super Rugby Pacific will be made easier by the presence of halves partner Ereatara Enari, the former Crusaders halfback who worked in tandem with McClutchie at Hawke’s Bay last year.
Mauger said the tight partnership the pair formed while at Magpies will be crucial for Moana Pasifika’s slim chances of success, as is the chemistry between McClutchie and second-five Danny Toala, a long-time friend and former Hastings Boys’ schoolmate.
“That relationship’s a really important one for us,” Mauger said.
“Obviously Lincoln at 10, Ere inside him and Danny Toala outside as well, so we feel that Hawke’s Bay combination that performed really well in the NPC last year gives us a little bit of cohesion in a really critical unit.
“Obviously we’ve been building combinations through our training weeks as well, so, to answer one of the previous questions, that’s something we’re really looking forward to as well, seeing how those combinations function under more pressure.
“There’s so much we’re going to get out of this game. There’s only one thing left to do, and that’s to test it out now.”
With 11 rookies on deck, Moana Pasifika may lean heavily on the intel Enari has of the Crusaders after having spent five seasons with the Christchurch-based side, where he won three Super Rugby titles and two Super Rugby Aotearoa crowns.
That, according to Mauger, is invaluable knowledge to have for a team as inexperienced as Moana Pasifika, making Enari a pivotal figure heading into this match.
“It’s been really beneficial having Ere in the Crusaders the last few years. [He has] given a bit of an insight into their mentality and what they’ll bring.”
In saying that, Mauger is primarily focused on what his side can achieve and work on after their inexperience, pre-season rustiness and lack of cohesion was exposed in a 61-7 pre-season thumping at the hands of the Chiefs last month.
Since then, Moana Pasifika have had their first two matches of the year postponed due to a Covid outbreak, leaving Moana Pasifika with plenty of time for self-improvement ahead of their season-opener on Friday.
“We can only control so much, and really sort of focus on preparing our own game so we can go out there and give them a crack,” Mauger said.
“We can only control so much, and really sort of focus on preparing our own game so we can go out there and give them a crack.
“Probably what we learned in our first pre-season game against the Chiefs, I thought we were a bit reactive and we waited for the Chiefs to bring their game to us and see what they had.
“We just can’t do that against the Crusaders. It’s about getting on the front foot, or trying to get on the front foot, early and get some ascendency with some opportunities that we’ve identified. We’ve got to be a bit more proactive this week.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good 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.
16 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.
16 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?
4 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.
4 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.
26 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 🤐
16 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….
26 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….
16 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….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to comments