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.
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:
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.
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.
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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
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments