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'Probably my favourite article was when I was named one of the six worst signings in Blues history'

By Tom Vinicombe
Matt Duffie. (Photos by Getty Images)

It’s fair to say that Matt Duffie probably didn’t know what he was getting himself into when, in 2016, he made the switch from the Melbourne Storm to the Blues.

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In Duffie’s six seasons with the Storm, the NRL heavyweights had made the finals five times and won one title. In that same time frame, the Blues had chalked up just one finals appearance and finished 10th or lower on the Super Rugby ladder four times.

In 2015, the year before Duffie arrived, the Blues recorded their worst season in their then-20-year history, managing just three wins from 16 matches.

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“I must admit, I didn’t use to watch the Blues that closely when I was playing league,” Duffie told RugbyPass. “Between 2010 to 2015, I understood that they hadn’t done that well, but I probably didn’t realise the extent of the attitude towards the club in New Zealand.”

Once the darlings of New Zealand rugby, the Auckland franchise with the largest catchment area in the country were the poster-children of under-performance. Despite regularly having numerous long-term All Blacks on the books as well as coaches who had proven themselves at other levels of the game, the results just never came for the Blues – and the media were never hesitant to remind the side.

Critics regularly lambasted the fall from grace of the inaugural Super 12 title-winners while local fans either lamented their side’s poor results or ignored the team altogether. Those outside the region were more than happy to put the boot in.

“When you’re at Melbourne, especially if you start your career there, you probably don’t realise how lucky you are to be away from the spotlight,” said Duffie. “You can just get on with whatever you’re getting on with because you’re normally getting wins on the board. You see other clubs just getting torn apart by a media and all that sort of stuff and you sympathise with them but don’t really know what that’s like.

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“When I came over to the Blues, it was a bit of an eye-opener, to be honest. I just thought it was normal that five, six camera crews roll up to our trainings, but I didn’t realise that that doesn’t happen in any other Super Rugby clubs around the country.”

Duffie himself didn’t escape criticism either.

“I probably struggled a little bit in my debut of Super Rugby,” Duffie admitted. “After getting pumped up during the pre-season, I got absolutely shredded in the media after my debut game.

“Probably my favourite article was when I was named one of the six worst signings in Blues history, or something like that, that was a good one. I don’t even think they rated it from one to six so at least I’m maybe not in the top five. That article actually motivated me.”

That seems to be the nature of the beast in New Zealand. When the results are going your way, an inexperienced player can have an underwhelming debut without it trumpeting end times. When results haven’t been great for a while, however, everything goes under the microscope.

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“At the end of the day, we were training just as hard as clubs that were winning all the time, we were running just as far, throwing as many passes, doing as many hours in the analysis,” Duffie said. “That’s just the way it is when you’re playing for the Blues.

“We just put our helmets on and our shields up and just cop it but yes, it is one of those things and I’m old enough now to understand that it’s just going to happen and it can be frustrating, but it’s an opinion, everyone has an opinion.

“You just learn to live with it and at the end of the day, it’s the beast that drives the finances of the game in New Zealand and all the TV rights and all the publicity that New Zealand might get through its biggest sport. It’s like a religion over here so, to turn it into a positive, it’s a privilege to be a part of it, but that did take a while to come to terms with.”

Despite the bagging from the media that Duffie received in his first season with the Blues, the former Storm wing eventually forced his way into the national set-up and played two matches for the All Blacks in 2017.

Neither match was designated test status, however, as Duffie’s two games came against the Barbarian and a French XV. That makes Duffie one of the few players to have played for the All Blacks post-2007, but not have earned a test cap (Akira Ioane and Asafo Aumua are the other two). That doesn’t faze the 29-year-old, however.

“Yes, uncapped – it is what it is. I think the thing about being an outside back is that there’s always a new fella on the scene and it’s so competitive, not only at national but also Super Rugby level.

“I’m just real grateful that I’ve got those jerseys in my little box of memorabilia I’ve accumulated over my career. I don’t even think I’ve watched the games back yet, but one day, when I’m old and done, I’ll sit back, enjoy a beer and watch those games.”

While it may have taken a few years, Duffie’s Blues side are now finally starting to show promise of a resurgence. A loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday night doesn’t undermine the seven wins they managed on the trot in the lead-up to that game – including four against NZ opposition.

The emergence of Mark Telea and Caleb Clarke on the wings, Rieko Ioane’s new lease of life in the midfield and the coming of age of Otere Black means the backline is ticking along nicely (the addition of Beauden Barrett is never going to hurt, either). There’s plenty of grunt, power and commitment in the forward pack too.

It’s the remarkable form of the backs that’s keeping Duffie on his toes, given this is his last season under his current contract with the Blues.

“We’re pretty lucky and I think it’s all good headaches for the coaches to have,” Duffie said of the talent at the Blues’ disposal. “The intensity of the competition will probably see a fair few players getting a crack. No matter where you sit, you’ve got to be ready to go because your name could get pulled out to have a run.

“I’m at the point of my career where I’m really just enjoying the day-to-day training and competing for spots and I think it’s one of those things that keeps you feeling young because you’ve got these twenty-somethings running about.

“I’ve been in professional sport long enough to know to handle the stress that when you come to the end of your contract, when you’re playing for your livelihood. We’ll just see how that plays out in the next couple of months.”

There’s no question of Matt Duffie’s continuing desire to perform and succeed. He may not have known what he was getting himself into when he first arrived at the Blues but, like the rest of his teammates, the Christchurch-born outside back is willing to put his body on the line for the team he grew up supporting. The criticism that comes from outsiders looking in just motivates him more.

“Coming over was a bit of a shock, but I guess it’s fuelled the fire for a lot of us guys that have been here since 2015 or earlier to actually hang around, have a crack and see if we can turn the ship,” Duffie said.

“We’re just starting to see the fruits of not just two years of work, but five years of trying different things. It is nice to be at the point where I feel like the club is at a stage where it can take off from here. Whether I’m around next year is irrelevant to my thoughts towards that.”

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Jon 1 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”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 4 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.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 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

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 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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