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Ricky Riccitelli chasing his second Super Rugby title after doing it all in New Zealand rugby

Ricky Riccitelli of the Blues makes a break during the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final match between the Blues and Fijian Drua at Eden Park, on June 08, 2024, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Ricky Riccitelli is tailor-made for the Blues basic and belligerent approach. The hooker helped the Blues win a dozen regular season Super Rugby Pacific matches with his fisty, diligent and uncomplicated style.

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Veteran coach Vern Corter has installed an edge and honesty to the Blues that was previously absent.

“I didn’t realise how far a straight conversation could go,” Riccitelli told RugbyPass.

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“Vern is the most honest coach I’ve had. All coaches have straight-up conversions, but Vern will call you out in front of everyone. There’s a care, clarity, and accountability about Vern that’s awesome.”

Riccitelli has been around long enough to see through charlatans. In 2015 he was a member of the New Zealand Under 20s that won the World Junior Championships in Argentina.

Riccitelli has played 70 matches for Taranaki winning an NPC Premiership in 2023. This season he became a Super Rugby centurion in the Blues 47-8 win over Moana Pasifika.

In 106 Super Rugby appearances, Riccitelli has scored 18 tries and won 75 games.

His first season at the Hurricanes in 2016 netted a Super Rugby title. He was used mostly as a reserve behind captain and All Blacks legend Dane Coles.

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“I learned so much from Colsey and most of it was away from the field; how to carry yourself, be a leader, a family man, become consistently excellent in what you do,” Riccitelli acclaimed.

“I moved to Auckland in 2022 because it was the right time to move on from the Hurricanes. If you don’t take yourself out of your comfort zone, you don’t evolve. I wanted a new challenge, a fresh start, both on and off the field.”

The Blues won a franchise record 15 consecutive matches in 2022 but appeared to regress in 2023.

“We got rolled in that semi-final against the Crusaders. We’ve always had big potential at the Blues but finding a game plan that suits each individual has been challenging,” Riccitelli admitted.

“This season we’ve gone for a real direct approach. It suits the players we have.

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“The key for us is trusting each other, nailing our week, and going out there excited to do our job.

“It’s not going to be easy to win this thing. It’s a war every week, but if everyone implements their skills, I believe we’ve got the most talented personnel.”

Riccitelli is an integral part of the Blues potent lineout. He’s developed a strong relationship with rival hooker Kurt Eklund, now-injured captain Patrick Tuipulotu and a cohort of industrious young locks.

“Kurt is a good player and we’re mates off the field. We help each other which makes us both better,” he said.

“Paddy is a big leader in our squad. He’s experienced and has a lot of mana. Paddy runs the lineout but when Sam Darry is available, he takes on some of that role.

“The lineout is massive for us. We have a big collective that meets a couple of times a week looking at video and nailing that part of the game.”

Laughlin McWhannell and Josh Beehre are other locks for the Blues that have added real value, who will have to be called upon when the Blues face the Brumbies.

The Blues have won 122 of 175 matches at Eden Park which could still host the final if the Hurricanes lose to the Chiefs and the Blues beat the Brumbies.

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Comments

2 Comments
M
Michael 295 days ago

He's looked better than ever and seems to punch above his weight. Now we need the commentators to get it right….. Ri"chee"telli.

While we're at it “Chip"riani….

T
T-Bone 295 days ago

He’s been a revelation this year under Cotter
Probably fourth in the ABs pecking order but his game has been great
And he’s still only 29 despite having played for 30 years!

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JW 1 hour ago
Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

It is now 22 years since Michael Lewis published his groundbreaking treatise on winning against the odds

I’ve never bothered looking at it, though I have seen a move with Clint as a scout/producer. I’ve always just figured it was basic stuff for the age of statistics, is that right?

Following the Moneyball credo, the tailor has to cut his cloth to the material available

This is actually a great example of what I’m thinking of. This concept has abosolutely nothing to do with Moneyball, it is simple being able to realise how skillsets tie together and which ones are really revelant.


It sounds to me now like “moneyball” was just a necessity, it was like scienctest needing to come up with some random experiment to make all the other world scholars believe that Earth was round. The American sporting scene is very unique, I can totally imagine one of it’s problems is rich old owners not wanting to move with the times and understand how the game has changed. Some sort of mesiah was needed to convert the faithful.


While I’m at this point in the article I have to say, now the NRL is a sport were one would stand up and pay attention to the moneyball phenom. Like baseball, it’s a sport of hundreds of identical repetitions, and very easy to data point out.

the tailor has to cut his cloth to the material available and look to get ahead of an unfair game in the areas it has always been strong: predictive intelligence and rugby ‘smarts’

Actually while I’m still here, Opta Expected Points analysis is the one new tool I have found interesting in the age of data. Seen how the random plays out as either likely, or unlikely, in the data’s (and algorithms) has actually married very closely to how I saw a lot of contests pan out.


Engaging return article Nick. I wonder, how much of money ball is about strategy as apposed to picks, those young fella’s got ahead originally because they were picking players that played their way right? Often all you here about is in regards to players, quick phase ruck ball, one out or straight up, would be were I’d imagine the best gains are going to be for a data driven leap using an AI model of how to structure your phases. Then moving to tactically for each opposition.

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