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Super Rugby Aotearoa: Chiefs player ratings vs Blues
The final instalment of round seven Super Rugby Aotearoa saw the Blues host the Chiefs at Eden Park this afternoon.
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With the Chiefs’ title aspirations over, the men from the Waikato were playing for respect which can be a dangerous motivator, and defeating any side from Auckland would certainly deliver that.
Warren Gatland’s winless side have had their moments this season and had done just about everything to defeat the Highlanders last weekend, but were thwarted after the 80-minute mark by the relentless Highlanders.
The sting of such a loss no doubt would have been a factor in the Chiefs preparation for this encounter.
In the forwards, Aidan Ross was unavailable due to a calf strain, which allowed Reuben O’Neill to start at loosehead. That allowed 20-year-old Ollie Norris to come onto the bench, with Aucklander Lisita Milo-Harris shadowing Brad Webber.
Finally, Adam Thomson – at 38-year-old – was also named on the bench with 100 Super Rugby caps within his grasp.
The Chiefs threw the ‘Kitchen Sink’ at the hosts but were denied 21-17 in yet another thriller. Here’s how they rated:
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15. Damian McKenzie – 7.5/10
Arguably his best performance in Super Rugby Aotearoa. Despite being guilty of running too laterally early on, D-Mac’s class in both attack and defence were on display. Made several try saving tackles and was a handful in possession but also worked hard off the ball to draw defenders onto him. Quality shift.
14. Sean Wainui – 7/10
Wasn’t given much space to work with in attack which is a shame considering his class. Was solid in defence.
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13. Anton Lienert-Brown – 8/10
Superb performance by the All Black centre. Made plenty of tough metres and was a fourth flanker in defence, securing multiple turnovers and cleaning out at the breakdown. Good luck removing him from that All Blacks centre position with form like this.
12. Alex Nankivell – 7/10
Solid day out. Was hard in defence and like Lienert-Brown worked hard for yards in the middle of the park. If he can stay fit, he appears to have a big future with the Chiefs.
11. Solomon Alaimalo – 7/10
Was replaced after being injured scoring a good old-fashioned winger try holding his width and depth on the short side to capitalise on a turnover counter attack. Was a solid performer prior to that and nearly stole another earlier in the match by simply chasing a kick and staying in the contest.
10. Kaleb Trask – 6.5/10
Made some errors by not finding touch when required but showed he is a player of the future. Tended to take the lesser option in attack that stifled momentum. Would like to see him take the ball to the line and play flatter as opposed to block plays.
9. Brad Weber – 7/10
Mixed bag from him. On the negative, he can drop off a tackle and was guilty of delivering the odd looping pass that put pressure on the receiver. On the positive, he is such a courageous player and was in the thick of it trying to get his side back into the match.
8. Pita Gus Sowakula – 7.5/10
He has a warrior today for the Chiefs. Made numerous tackles and secured an important turnover to thwart the Blues momentum and give his side a chance at victory. He must have come within millimetres of scoring at the death but it wasn’t to be.
7. Sam Cane (c) – 7.5/10
Another ‘Captain Courageous’ performance and, as always, was in the thick of just about everything. Made 19 tackles, with at least three of those after he received an injury to his left shoulder, yet he stayed in it. Down 14-7 in the first half and points hard to come by, he turned down a sure three-pointer to go for the line. Wasn’t the right option.
6. Lachlan Boshier – 7/10
Didn’t secure any turnovers today which is unlike him, but was still immense at the breakdown and secured himself a try. Didn’t do his All Black selection chances any harm.
5. Mitchell Brown – 7/10
Impressed with his defensive efforts and put in a no-frills lock forwards performance that was required. Dependable player without being spectacular.
4. Tupou Vaa’i – 6.5/10
Solid performance in the lineout and looked to impose himself to his credit, yet was guilty of missing tackles. Still a credible performance by a player with a future.
3. Nepo Laulala – 6.5/10
Worked hard against a quality scrum but was guilty of giving away a couple of penalties, and dropping off a few tackles. An All Black of his experience needed to better in that department.
Heartbreaking for the Chiefs. Should Josh Goodhue have been the one getting penalised? ? #BLUvCHI #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/OfXjQ2Ypog
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 26, 2020
2. Bradley Slater – 7.5/10
Did so much quality work in tight. Made at least one try saving tackle in the second half and simply didn’t miss the opportunity to impose himself. Solid in the lineout and needs to find a better running game but a quality performance today.
1. Reuben O’Neill – 7/10
Brave player who ran into the heart of the Blues to give his side front foot ball. Was solid in the scrum and worked himself in defence. Prop on the rise.
Replacements:
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho – 5/10
On in the 64th and did his job.
17. Ollie Norris – 6/10
On in the 68th and brought some physicality. Promising player.
18. Ross Geldenhuys – 5/10
On in the 71st and did his job.
19. Adam Thomson – 5/10
On in the 64th and won his 100th Super Rugby cap.
20. Mitchell Karpik – 5/10
On in the 64th and did his job.
21. Lisati Milo-Harris – N/A
22. Aaron Cruden – 6.5/10
On in the 41st. Almost steered his home side to victory and showed his experience and class in that effort.
23. Quinn Tupaea – 6/10
On in the 48th and looked to impose himself. Secured a turnover. Credible performance.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
8 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
34 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
34 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
8 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
34 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
8 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
8 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to comments