Super Rugby Aotearoa - Chiefs player ratings vs Crusaders
Chiefs player ratings: The table-topping Crusaders travelled to Hamilton to take on cellar dwellers the Chiefs in Round 8 of Super Rugby Aotearoa. There were milestone moments for Aaron Cruden bringing up his ton of Super rugby games and Sam Whitelock clocking up 150 to his name.
Crusaders always play with venom after a loss and they chalked up two early tries but the Chiefs, with their nothing to lose attitude, stayed in the game for long periods before succumbing 32-19.
Here’s the Chiefs player ratings:
1 Reuben O’Neill 6
Short night for the loosehead adding to the Chief’s tight forward injury woes. Off at 17 minutes.
2 Bradley Slater 7
Impresses week after week with his awesome, combative forward play. Great run down the right flank in the 49th minute. Off at 56.
3 Nepo Laulala 6.5
Would have been relieved to match up against Bower instead of Moody but couldn’t really make a dent in the champion’s scrum. Gutsy turnover in the 55th minute after valiant defence from the team, not allowing the Crusaders over the advantage line through multiple phases. Off at 60.
4 Tupou Vaa’i 6.5
Amazing effort from the young tyro, improving each outing even with the endless grind of Super rugby.
5 Mitchell Brown 6.5
Buries his head in the tight stuff and doesn’t usually come up for air.
6 Lachlan Boshier 7.5
Some classic turnovers after a quiet week last week. Wins lineout ball, runs and distributes like a centre and finishes like a pro. Off at 64
7 Sam Cane 8
Just kept putting in thundering hits on the Crusaders. Game high, quality 21 tackles and some good carries in the final minutes as the Chiefs tried to spark a comeback. Slight miss on Mo’unga 67th minute that set up try.
8 Pita Gus Sowakula 7.5
Storming first run set the tone and he just kept going. Magnificent on both sides of the ball with 44 metres off 14 carries and 15 tackles. No wonder Vern Cotter, the Fijian coach is licking his lips!
9 Brad Weber 6.5
Couldn’t get his running game going tonight but was solid. Off at 65
It’s Aaron Cruden’s 100th game for the Chiefs! Big congrats to him! pic.twitter.com/VJHFQOZwAi
— Sky Sport NZ (@skysportnz) August 1, 2020
10 Aaron Cruden 7
Mixed night. Found it hard to kick for territory as the Bridge, Reece and Jordan trio made them pay on kicks into the backfield. Lovely ball to Ah Kuoi 71st minute and put his body on the line time after time. Undoubtedly a Chief’s legend. Off at 78.
11 Sean Wainui 7
Strong ball runner with low error rate. Sevu Reece’s past opponents would have cheered loudly when Wainui put a strong shot on the jack in the box early in the second half.
12 Alex Nankivell 6.5
No frills just solid running and defence.
13 Anton Lienert-Brown 6.5
Ripped Goodhue off in the tackle in the 2nd minute but it turned out to be a quiet night for the All Black, with just 7 metres running.
PLAYER RATINGS
Finn Morton rates the Saders #CHIvCRU ???https://t.co/jy87oQSq3p
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 1, 2020
14 Shaun Stevenson 6
It was a mercurial evening for the man they call Shooter. He missed matching up on Jordan for his try. Good run down the right flank after 20 minutes. Lovely scrambled save getting back in the 39th minute but then moments later got yellow carded with an optimistic slap down on a Crusaders overlap. Missed supporting runners on a break in the 49th minute as Bridge gobbled him up.
15 Damian McKenzie 7
Top run metres from either team as he injected himself well in the line. Kept a cool head slotting some nice long range penalties but as Justin Marshall remarked he has to work on his kicking from hand. To be fair the Crusaders are one of the best squads at running back the ball.
REPLACEMENTS:
16 Samisoni Taukei’aho 6
On at 56 and full of vigour with ball in hand. Just a shame his lineout work has become a liability.
17 Ollie Norris 6.5
On early at the 17th minute. Tall athletic prop, one for the future.
18 Angus Ta’avao 6
On at 60 and apart from the odd scrum hiccough looked in good knick.
19 Naitoa Ah Kuoi 6
On at 60 and quite energetic
20 Simon Parker 6.5
On at 63 with his debut and didn’t look out of place or overwhelmed by the occasion.
21 Lisato Milo-Harris 5.5
On at 65 and didn’t get the easiest of rides.
22 Kaleb Trask N/A
On at 78
23 Quinn Tupaea N/A
Chiefs player ratings
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood 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.
19 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.
9 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.
19 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?
9 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.
9 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.
28 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 🤐
19 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….
28 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….
19 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….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments